Prelude Series: Way of the Guardian
by A.R. Minion
Summary: The history between Kai Lugo, who would become the Exile, and Atris has always been an enigma too all but them. And perhaps why the Historian had hated him so much was because at one point in their lives, their strongest bond was with eachother.
1. Chapter 1

**Way of the Guardian: Chapter 1**

"You know I do not approve of this."

Within the confines of her chambers, Jedi Master Quatra sat comfortably at her private desk. The long day of trials among the young apprentices and Padawans within the Dantooine Enclave had drained their worth from the young woman, to the point where she was now ready to take off her robes, take a long soothing shower to wash the dirt and sweat from her brown skin and long, dark hair, and then collapse upon her bed. The demands of the Academy were not always so taxing, but the recent inrush of new hopefuls into the Jedi Order had begun to take its toll on all of the Masters that oversaw training.

And, unfortunately, before she had been able to bring a much desired end to her exhaustive day, a call had reached her upon her personal receiver within her room.

The small and translucent figure of Master Kavar now stood upon the holopad on Quatra's desk, looking upon the young woman as she sat within her lounging chair, her left arm resting upon the armrest and supporting her head as she looked back upon the man with exhausted, and somewhat annoyed eyes.

"I am sorry that this is getting laid upon you, Master Quatra," Kavar responded, his voice being a bit too casual sounding for being apologetic. "But you must understand, this arrangement was not something we had originally planned, yet we feel it to be the best course of action at the moment."

Quatra eyed the man skeptically, not feeling that she was being told every reason for this sudden arrangement. "I have heard of these two, Master Kavar. One is a young girl who is said to be of Echani decent. From what I have heard, her teachers say she has the making of a great Historian about her, enough so that they have already given unto her the rank of Knight, and that they do not think it long before she will achieve the rank of Master herself. Quite remarkable for one so young."

"Yes… Atris…" Kavar responded, his voice hinting at being unsettled by Quatra's remarks. "We've had few hopefuls of Echani decent over the last few decades, and she is proving to be quite talented among the lot, and quite focused upon her studies. You can expect little in the ways of problems with her. She has been sent by her Master to study the ancient ruins and grove upon Dantooine, and to report back here on Coruscant as soon as her studies are completed."

"And the Padawan accompanying her here…" Master Quatra quickly followed up. "Am I correct in assuming that it is the young boy that some of the Masters have been discussing about; the one that Master Vandar found upon the streets of Coruscant?"

"I see word still travels fast within the Order," Master Kavar noted almost humorously. "He has only been among our number for a few short years."

"Long enough for the masters to take notice of his… unique skills," the young woman responded. "Yet I still do not approve of any Padawan, even one training to be a Guardian, being given the role of bodyguard for another, especially at such a critical and headstrong age."

"I'll admit I have my reservations as well," Kavar let out a heavy sigh as he spoke, seeming a bit disheartened by what he was going to say. "Quite frankly… we've been having a lot trouble finding the proper place for him, all aspects considered."

Having heard enough of the discussions about the Padawan, Quatra could imagine the conflicts brought about due to his strange gifts. And the fact that the Council had decided to keep him in the dark about why he has been passed frequently from one set of hands to the next has undoubtedly made things complicated for him and everyone around him.

"Otherwise, is he proving to be difficult to deal with?"

"In terms of being responsible, no," Kavar clarified. "He's very good at listening to those who listen to him and he completes his daily exercises and studies as efficiently as one can expect. Though he seems to have only average affinity in use of the Force, he has shown to have remarkable ability and understanding in melee combat, though we've tried to discourage his enthusiasm for such training, not to much avail. Personality-wise, he is serious when the need occurs, though commonly he has a flare for being sarcastic and easy-going so expect to see it."

"I wonder where he could have picked up such traits," Quatra asked in a suggestive tone as she shot Kavar an accusing stare.

"Anyways," Kavar continued as if not noticing Master Quatra's response, "as I am sure you can guess, his… unique situation has lead to problems and concerns about the other Padawans here, and any Master that has attempted to take him on as an Apprentice… well… suffice to say that the Council here feels I am too close to him as it is."

Quatra was still unsure as to the motive behind this whole arrangement. "And by having him serve as the Echani girl's personal bodyguard while here, what exactly is it the Council hopes to gain?"

"Understanding, Master Quatra," Kavar answered.

Realizing that this was probably the clearest answer that she was going to receive, the young woman let out a light sigh of acceptance. It was not as if she had much choice in the matter. "I will devote what time I can to acting as his Master while he is here, Master Kavar, but please understand that I have an entire Enclave full of young hopefuls that require most of my time and concentration, and if he is to be answering directly to me, than most likely he will take part in the activities of his fellow Padawans."

"Atris' studies on the ruins should only take within the span of a week, Master Quatra," Kavar clarified, understanding the concern the young woman was facing. "In such a small time span, it is very doubtful that he will have any strong affect among the other Padawans, so I would not worry about it."

"And the other Enclave Masters… I'm sure that you and Atris' Master have their support in this little… experiment…"

Turning his eyes aside for a moment, Kavar mumbled his words as with little assurance. "More or less…"

Quatra lightly laughed behind an amused smile at the man's rather reserved response. Knowing the other Masters of the Enclave as well as she did, the young woman had a good estimate of with whom the apparent complications laid. With some of the more… conservative Masters on Dantooine, such things as new methods and ideas were not often welcomed with open-mindedness. And, unfortunately, such perceptions undoubtedly left many with a dim view towards this rather unique Padawan. Meaning that, more than likely, Quatra would find herself on the receiving end of a few lectures on how to properly guide the young boy; another frustration to add to the long list she already had.

"This is not meant to cause you or anyone else aggravation," Kavar remarked upon noticing the young woman rubbing the tenseness upon her forehead. "Just keep him busy when he is not attending to Atris. Pop in on him at least twice a day, and make note of any strange behavior you may observe in him, or those around him."

Lightly closing her eyes, the young woman let out a heavy sigh. With as much energy as she needed to devote to all others, the Master was unsure if she would have enough left to manage such attention. She was tired and drained, and had been considering bringing her case for more help before the council as it already stood.

"Please Quatra…"

The young woman brought her sight back upon the figure of Kavar, the man's expression and voice having become warm and compassionate, as Quatra remembered him commonly being when the pair were young companions training together. "I'm asking for your help, as an old friend. I… we have tried repeatedly to lead the boy properly, but… it is difficult when there is so much we do not understand about him…"

Quatra was about to respond by restating her doubts in the scheme, but it had been so long since Kavar had talked to her in such a way, not as a fellow Jedi Master, but a friend, and as such, she found herself responding as a friend.

"Alright Kavar, I will do what I can."

An appreciative smile formed on the man's lips as he bowed his head. "Thank you, Quatra. They should be arriving on Dantooine within the week. Please get some rest now…"

"One last thing," Quatra quickly added as Kavar was about to end the transmission. "What was the Padawan's name?"

"His name…? Oh… I suppose I haven't mentioned it… he goes by-"

"-Kai!"

The young Padawan awoke with a startle as he quickly lifted his torso up. Rapidly he blinked his eyes as they began to contract to make up for the bright light that had suddenly made its way into the sleeping quarters, effectively blinding him for several moments. Soon they began to focus upon the blurred figure in white robes that stood over him, and even before they managed to give him a clear image, Kai begrudgingly knew whom it was, dropping his head back down on his pillow and placing his arm over his face to block out the light.

His words came out in an irritated murmur. "What do you want, Atris?"

The young woman looked down upon the groggy boy with frustration shooting at him from her eyes. "You need to get up, Lugo!"

"What for…"

"It is not good practice to sleep this long! You do not need it!"

"Do I need it? No…" Kai responded as he ripped the pillow from behind his head and placed it over his face. "Am I going to anyways…that is the real question…"

Atris did not but continue to stare down at Kai in frustration, finding the Padawan's constant wise-ass responses were starting to aggravate her more and more with each one he made. And he did make a lot of them in the time they have known each other…

Perhaps it was solely for the sake of revenge, or perhaps it was because she believed Lugo in need of a lesson in discipline, the young girl was not sure. Atris truly did not care the reason as she raised an open hand towards the resting Kai.

The young Guardian suddenly started to wriggle violently like a fish out of water as he found the pillow now being pressed down hard on his face. He tried to yell out in protest, but Atris was only able to make out those yells as muffled noises as she continued to stand there with her arm held out before her, not exactly smiling as she made Kai squirm like a animal stuck in a trap. But she was not glaring anymore either…

After Kai had rolled out of his bunk and had fallen onto the floor, still wrestling with the pillow, the Echani girl finally decided that the lesson had been learned, and lowered her arm.

Violently ripping the cushion away from his face, Kai coughed heavily as he took in very deep breaths. After a moment longer to regain at least some composure, the young Jedi looked up from where he sat scrounged up on the ground at the girl standing over him, now with his eyes glaring in anger, to which Atris passed off as not noticing.

With a mocking smile and just as mocking a tone, Kai spoke very pointedly towards her. "How may I help you…Atris?"

"We're about to land."

"Land? Land where?"

"We've made it to Dantooine, Kai."

"Already?"

Kai could not help but be surprised. To him it seemed like it had only been at most a day since they had left from Alderaan in what had been projected as being a three day trip. But than again he was not used to space travel as he had rarely left Coruscant since joining the Order and never before then.

Perhaps he has been sleeping a little too much…

And he had a right to be tired, damnit! Originally Master Kavar and Atris' Master had provided them with passage straight to Dantooine from Coruscant, but just as they had been boarding the shuttle, the young Historian had received a message from her Master, whom had decided for them that it would be no trouble if they instead went to Alderaan first to pick up some needed records to bring back with them from their trip. Atris, whom Master Kavar had explained would be "leading" this expedition, had decided to leave Kai with the responsibility of finding a shuttle to Alderaan, rebooking their departures, and carrying along any and all luggage they had brought with them, including when they had finally departed from Alderaan to Dantooine. Needless to say that when they had finally climbed aboard the freighter heading towards their intended destination, Lugo wasted no time in finding his bunk and collapsing on it.

For the most part the owner of the vessel had left his unexpected passengers to their own for the whole trip, but his son Casus and younger daughter Rahasia had been constant in popping their heads around the corners of the ship to spy on the pair of fascinating Jedi. Keeping those two energetic younglings entertained and away from Atris while she went about her studies had been the other half of the reason Kai was sleeping the whole trip.

Speaking of which, as Kai finally brought himself to his feet, straightening out his robes and rewrapping his ponytail, he spotted the pair of children out of the corner of his eye over Atris' shoulder, once again spying upon them with fascinated eyes.

Kai smirked humorously at the sight while Atris, whom had noticed Lugo's gaze and followed it to its target, remained indifferent.

"Master Kai, Master Atris," young Casus called out as he came out from around the corner, his little sister in step behind him, "my father says we will be landing at the Jedi Enclave within three minutes. And to tell you that we won't be able to see you out, as we will be needing to fly to our estate as soon as you two are on the ground."

"We are not Masters, young one," Atris quickly and sternly replied, visibly putting the young boy on edge. Standing behind her, Kai rolled his eyes in ridicule. Why the hell was it so damned important to her to correct a sever-year-old? Even little Rahasia visibly tightened at the sound of the Historian's voice.

Atris, being the tightwad Kai knew her to be, did not show any response to the fear her tone and words had placed into the children standing before her.

"M-my apologies…Miss… Jedi, uh…Lady," Casus mumbled out, unsure of himself.

"Don't worry about it, Casus," Kai quickly responded with a warm smile as he stepped out in front of Atris and kneeled down to bring himself eye-level with the young boy and his sister. "Please be sure to give your father our thanks for being kind enough to give us a much-needed lift here. And thanks to both of you for being such kind and welcoming hosts to us."

All it took was the sound of a kind and appreciative voice for the two children to smile once again.

"I'm afraid we do not have much in terms of a parting gift…" the raven-haired teenager muttered with a sigh as he turned his eyes downwards in a shamed manner, but then bringing them back up as if an idea just popped into his head. "But wait…!"

Young Casus watched with curious eyes as the Jedi's right hand came out towards him slowly, making its way over to lightly tap on the outside of the pocket of the child's jacket.

"My Force powers… are telling me that something has materialized in there as a present for you two…" As he spoke with an almost uncertain voice, Lugo's eyes became very tense as if he were concentrating very hard on the jacket's pocket.

The two children looked almost awestruck by the drama of the Jedi's words and expression, feeling that something very mystical was happening then. Without hesitation, Casus' small hand dived into his pocket, anxious to see if something actually had appeared in there.

Sure enough he found something, and quickly yanked it out to see, with Rahasia looming over his side. Both children eyed the small plastique item with fascination. A cred stick!

"Ah yes…" Lugo went on to say, nodding his head as if it all made sense. "The Force is telling me that there are about twenty credits on it for the both of you, and that it is the Force's will that you use that money to buy yourselves some sweets, whatever kind you prefer, of course. And also… if by chance these sweets lead to any cavities or sugar rushes, you are not to tell your father where you acquired the money from… for to do so would have dire consequences for the galaxy… do you understand?"

Still partly mesmerized by the phenomenon of what had just happened, the two children quickly broke into teeth-full smiles with little Rahasia seeming barely able to control her excitement. Casus however kept himself a bit more in control, barely, as he bowed to Kai. "We will do as the Force wishes, Mr. Kai. And please say thank you to it on our behalf."

"I will," Lugo assured the young boy with one last smile, "now go back to your father now and stay by his side till you get home. And farewell to you, Casus, and you too, Rahasia."

With one last bow of goodbye from the both of them, young Casus and Rahasia disappeared around the corner of the sleeping quarters once again.

Rising back up, the young Guardian stretched out his arms a bit as he turned around to face Atris, still feeling the cramps of just waking up throughout his body. He found that the Echani girl's expression met his with almost a resentful disposition.

"What?" Kai muttered with a slight chuckle. "It was just a few leftover credits from my stipend…"

"It is those exact same pick pocketing skills you flaunt, Kai, that make you still more of a thief than a Jedi," Atris responded in a sort of matter-of-fact tone, as if there was no intended insult behind it.

Unbelievable, Kai thought to himself, it has been more than three years, and still she called him a thief! He had apologized at least a dozen times since when he had stolen her lightsaber from her on that day on Coruscant so long ago, yet from the way she continued to bring it up like this made Kai wonder whether Atris would ever forgive him for apparently having stolen some small piece of her pride as well.

Before Lugo got the chance to make his own perceptive remarks to the Historian, the ship suddenly shifted as the suspension prods touched down, signaling that they had finally landed at their destination. Without missing a beat, Atris proceeded to walk past the young Guardian before he could get even a word in. "Do not forget to bring the luggage with you on your way out."

With that said, the teenage girl disappeared beyond Kai's sight, leaving the raven-haired Jedi gritting his teeth in aggravation. The whole trip she had been treating him with little more decency than one gives to a servant droid, telling him to carry her luggage, fetch her meals, prepare their travel arrangements, all the while she occupied herself with her studies, keeping her nose between the pages of some old tomes she had brought with her.

Slowly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Kai reminded himself that his companion was born of a Echani noble family, and that such was likely responsible for her utter snobbishness. Even more so, the young Padawan reminded himself that currently, and he had absolute surety of this from Master Kavar, she was in charge of him while they were on this little voyage together, and it would undoubtedly come back to bite him if he said anything… uncivilized to her.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kai straightened himself up and left the sleeping quarters to go fetch their baggage. Even though this was his first time off world, the young Guardian was not looking forward to the next week of his life.

Not in the least…


	2. Chapter 2

**Way of the Guardian: Chapter 2**

Few things made Master Quatra as uncomfortable as she felt right now. She was quite capable of remaining lax in some of the most dire of situations, whether it be fighting for her life or teachings a field filled to the brim with Padawans. Yet something about standing before the other Council members, and having them listening discreetly to her voice, judging her intentions, watching her eyes and her movements, made her more uncomfortable than anything else could.

If she could have, she would have avoided bringing the matter before the other members of the Council, but with her expected arrivals due in any minute, she literally had no more time to think of a way to do so.

Quatra, though having been a Jedi Master for many years now, had only just recently been given the role of a member of the Council, apparently her predecessor had given up the position in order to pursue other exploits. In truth, she liked the power the position gave her: to discuss openly with the other Jedi Masters, to have access to the Jedi Archives that had for so long been beyond her reach, and to have not only her actions but her voice as well carry so much weight truly made the woman prideful with her sense of self-importance.

How quickly all that seemed to melt away as the faces of the Masters began to change after she had explained the entirety of what she and Kavar had arranged.

Not surprisingly, it was Master Vrook that lashed out first. "He is to be sent back to Coruscant immediately."

"Master Vrook, I apologize for not bringing this before the Council earlier," Quatra calmly responded, keeping her vision slightly turned downward as to project the sense of shame that she did not truly feel. "But sending him back just after he arrives will prove none the better for anyone. It is Master Kavar's and my hope that through this arrangement, we might be able to achieve-"

"-Achieve? What exactly is it you think you can achieve with him," Vrook quickly countered, seeming only to half-listen to what Quatra had been saying. "Whatever this… ability of his is, it is something that he is not even aware of, nor has he shown any sign of even being suspicious of its existence. It is foolish to risk at this point bringing it to his attention."

"I agree with Master Vrook," Master Zhar added. "Kai Lugo has yet to even prove himself as a Jedi, and, from what I have heard, despite not being one quick to anger or aggression, he still is rather self-defined in his views."

Having come to understand Vrook and Zhar over the time Quatra has served on the Council, she was not in the least surprised by their skepticism. Vrook, a man whose conviction often seemed to stem more from bitterness than logic, rarely showed anything but skepticism and distaste when it came to new ideas, especially when those ideas came from a certain youthful Master.

Scarcely did a day go by where the old Master would not remark to Quatra on what was proper means for teaching the dozens of hopefuls the Council had placed under her responsibility. Apparently, in Vrook's opinion, if she was not beating the fear of the Dark Side into her students, as the old Master did with his Padawan and the few hopefuls he instructed now and then, then she was failing in her position. And the fact that Vrook also never missed an opportunity to outspeak the young Council member just put the keen edge on the vibro blade.

Needless to say, Master Quatra had often gone to extreme lengths to avoid unneeded contact with the man.

Zhar, on the other hand, was not so much pessimistic as he was more or less reliant on that which he believed worked for all, especially when it came to training potential Jedi. However, from what Quatra had heard from Kavar, there was very little that could be done "by the book" when it came to the enigma that was Kai Lugo.

"We must not be so quick to condemn their actions," interjected Master Vandar, head of the Enclave. "None before have made a successful attempt to study upon young Lugo's unique abilities, and any that have tried to teach the boy were unable to avoid its affects for long. As it stands, it may not be wise for us to place this aside any longer."

Quatra would have passed the elderly Master an appreciative smile, if she were not sure that Vrook was watching her response intently. If there had been any among the Council that she felt she could have expected to support Kavar's and her decision, it had been Vandar. Many among the Order, Quatra included, looked up to the little green alien.

Figuratively speaking of course…

"While it may have been unwise for them to have set this plan into motion before bringing it to our attention," spoke lastly Master Dorak, "the fact remains that their intent is still sound, as are their concerns for the Padawan. How can the Order hope to guide young Lugo in the ways of the Force if we do not even have the means to provide him with a suitable Master?"

Vrook looked to the other seated Masters then, his eyes making it apparent that he was far from satisfied. "Are we to risk the consequences then if this whole matter turns out to prove more disastrous than we've perceived so far? Already we have seen how his headstrong opinions have inadvertently caused even Masters to stumble in their foundations. What do we risk by exposing the less tempered to him as well?"

"_Excuse me, Jedi Masters…"_

All eyes quickly turned to meet the figure of one of the Enclave's protocol droids standing at the chamber's entrance.

"_A freighter has just landed within the Enclave."_

"It seems they have arrived…" Vandar remarked as he and the others looked back upon Quatra. "Please go to welcome our guest students, Master Quatra. They shall need to know the layout of our facilities, so we shall leave such an endeavor up to you. It should give us enough time to deliberate on the matter. We will send word to you when we have come to a decision, at which point we would like you to bring them before us."

"As you wish, Masters," Quatra softly responded as she dipped into a respectful vow. "I leave you to your deliberations."

With that said, the young woman turned to leave, walking at a calm pace. Yet no sooner was she beyond the Council's sight did she let out a heavy breath of relief.

"Well… that had not been nearly as painful as I had feared," she muttered to herself as she started for the landing pad.

Yet she knew that such thinking was premature. The day, and possibly the week, had barely begun…

No sooner had Kai managed to step off of the freighter's loading ramp with all four carrying cases in hand before the ship's entrance closed behind him. It was apparent that Casus had not been jesting in the urgency his father felt in their departure as the young Guardian had barely managed to get out from under the ship before its engines began to activate.

"The man could learn to have a little more patience," Lugo muttered to himself, watching as the ship lifted upward from the landing pad and jetted off beyond sight. Yet even after the vessel had departed, the teenage Jedi found his gaze trapped upon the sky.

It was so strange for the boy who had for most of his life been surrounded by concrete walls and ceilings, rarely having felt the warmth of a sun on his skin or breathed in the freshness of an open sky before having joined the Order on Coruscant. It had taken him a long while to get used to there being so much light around him, along with the concepts of night and day and the patterns of life that accompanied them. And even stranger now it was for young Lugo to find himself in a place where he could look straight up and not see a single tower looming over him.

The quite serenity… the warm air accompanied by a nice, cool wind… the lack of motion and noise… closing his eyes and breathing in the fresh breeze scented with the local flora, Kai let his mind become still, bathing himself in the pure nirvana of the momemt…

It was his moment…

"Kai!"

Now it was over…

Reality hitting him with an ache to his ears, Lugo opened his eyes and breathed out that fresh air with a sour grunt. "Coming, princess…"

Upon turning around and starting to walk in Atris' direction, the raven-haired teen realized that he had been spacing out a little too long when his eyes caught sight of the figures standing next to the Echani girl: one a protocol droid that's photoreceptors indiscriminately jumped from one object to the next, the other a young woman, dressed within the robes of a Jedi Master, giving Lugo a strange look that made him look away in embarrassment.

"Nice first impression…" the young Guardian quietly bereted himself as he made the rest of the way over, all four travel bags still in tow.

Yet it was not because of anything that the Padawan had done that made Quatra look upon him as she did. Rather, the Jedi Master found herself studying the boy, watching him with a silent curiosity. And as she did, Quatra found herself understanding what Kavar had been speaking of, and what the other Masters had been wary of. This Padawan was… different, that was easy enough for the woman to see. His eyes and movements spoke of experience and understanding beyond his years, yet such seemed incongruent with his physical stature, as if he were an old man trapped within a young body. Or perhaps she was making whatever made Lugo unique into something that it was not…

"Greetings, Padawan Kai," Master Quatra greeted after having straightened herself up with a comforting smile, a look which Lugo silently appreciated over the judgmental one that Atris was currently giving him. "I am Quatra, one of the Masters that oversees the daily training of the students here on Dantooine."

"A pleasure, Master Quatra," Lugo responded with a polite bow of his head, "I would offer a hand to shake, had I one to spare."

"I see," the Master mused as she looked down at Lugo's luggage, "That is quite a lot of baggage for a short trip. I did not imagine a Padawan needing to take so much along with them."

"Oh, only about a fourth of this is actually mine. Apparently, my companion here decided it would be trivial to bring an entire library along with us," the young Guardian lightheartedly responded, looking over pointedly in Atris' direction, whom paid him no heed. Despite his obvious irritation at being forced into the role of a pack mule, the young Guardian knew that the Historian would never do anything without cause.

Still, it wouldn't have killed her to carry at least one…

Rather than give her counterpart any notice, the Echani Knight, as always, remained focused on her purpose. "Master Quatra, I assume you are aware of my purpose here?"

It surprised the Jedi Master how much the young girl's tone of voice reminded her of the same tone she often had to bear from Master Vrook, a tone that somehow found a way to cause her unneeded and undesired irritation and aggravation. It scratched at her like a bug bite, and yet rather than keep her calm sense about her like she knew she had to with her fellow Master, Quatra did not hesitate to harden the tone of her own voice. "I am aware of why you are here, yes."

The Echani remained gazing upon the Master with equal footing, something Quatra did not appreciate. "Good, then I request that I be allowed to begin a preliminary examination of the ruins immediately."

"What!?" Kai looked upon his counterpart as if perplexed by what she was saying. "We just arrived less than five minutes ago, and you already want to begin?"

"We did not come here to recreate, Padawan," Atris responded, accenting her pronunciation of Lugo's rank as if to remind him of it. "I plan to begin and finish my examinations in a timely fashion, so that perhaps staying here for an entire week will become unnecessary."

She spoke with such a rational surety. It was really irritating.

"No."

The two teenagers quickly turned their eyes from each other back upon the Master, both of them being caught off guard by Quatra's response, though for different reasons: Atris being surprised that her perfectly reasonable request was refused, while Kai found himself taken aback not so much because the Master had denied the request, but rather how she had done it, bluntly with no offer of explanation. He was not used to seeing anyone taking such a firm and final position against the Historian, at least not without presenting reason. Her demeanor often demanded undo respect from others, commonly putting her at length with those that did not offer it unto her, Kai not excluded. Whether she does this intentionally or not remained to be seen. Her methodical ways had little patience for those that hindered her objectives or questioned her actions and judgements without fair cause.

Yet Quatra, though having good reason for making her choice, did not offer to explain herself. And she did not have to.

And fortunately Atris, in spite of her dislike for what she saw as being insensible, still remembered her place well enough not to question the reasons of a Master.

"Very well, Master Quatra," the Echani responded with a respectful nod. "Then when will I be permitted to begin my evaluations?"

"The kath hound pack that has settled near the ruins is expected to begin migrating tonight," Quatra answered in a much more even-sounding voice than before. Despite not needing to offer her reason, the young Master did so in loath of the idea of being seen as authoritative, like another Master she knew…

"Once we have confirmed that the beasts have moved on, both of you will be permitted access to the area."

"Thank you, merciful kath hounds!" Kai exclaimed, not attempting to hide his relief even though he knew the Historian did not appreciate it. "Now, Lady Quatra, if you would be so kind as to point us in the direction of our quarters, I would really appreciate the possibility of regaining the use of my fingers."

Casting the Padawan a quick smile of amusement, the Jedi Master then turned about towards the protocol droid standing quietly behind her. "Please take their belongings to the guest quarters."

"_As you wish, Master," _the machine responded without missing a beat, immediately walking up to the young Guardian. _"If you would please hand your bags to me, Padawan."_

Kai looked at the droid's frail figure with a rather skeptical expression, but handed off the bags to the machine without any argument. "Don't blame me if you lose an arm…"

Quite surprisingly to Kai, the droid took the baggage into its awaiting grasp with no sign of being encumbered by the weight. _"I am a model specifically designed for the tasks of mechanical assistance, young Jedi. My arms, as you call them, are capable of supporting near to five-hundred pounds of constant pressure."_

With that said, the protocol droid turned about and began to scuttle off towards the landing bay exit, bags swinging lightly as it went along its way.

Rather than appearing grateful, Kai pouted childishly at the machine's turned back. "Where the hell were you when I needed you on Alderaan…?"

"I'm curious, Kai," Master Quatra spoke up, bringing the young Guardian's attention back upon her. "What exactly did your Master tell you would be your responsibilities when you accompanied Atris here?"

For a moment, Kai simply looked at the woman, unsure that he had heard her correctly, his brow furrowed in confusion. "My Master?"

Quatra quickly found herself casting a similar look back at the teenager. "Your Master… Kavar…"

It suddenly hit the raven-haired boy what she meant. "Oh I see… no, Kavar is not my Master."

The perplexed look did not leave Quatra's expression. "What do you mean? He is the one who oversees your training and sent you here with Atris, correct?"

"Yes, but I have never been officially designated as his Apprentice," Lugo clarified, his slightly melancholic voice hinting that this was something he has had to explain to others on several different occasions. "Besides combat training, Master Kavar has assigned me to other Masters to oversee the rest of my studies. I guess you could say he is more like a supervisor to me than a Master. As for why I am here, he was not very specific on why he decided to send me on this little excursion."

"I see," Quatra conceded, ending her inquiry with a rather sharp edge that caught the young Guardian's attention, though he dismissed it just as quickly as he noticed it.

Currently within the Jedi Order, the amount of Padawans and hopefuls easily outnumbered the Masters, forcing the Order to compensate by dividing up the overseeing of training for new recruits among the Masters. For those few like Atris who were considered "gifted", they were afforded the privilege of Apprenticeship to a single Master. Kai, as he understood it, only ranked average at best in terms of ability, and as such was required to rely upon many teachers in order to develop even his basic skills as a Jedi. That was what he was led to believe anyway…

"If I recall correctly," Lugo added in a matter-of-fact tone, "I believe his exact words were that I am to serve and assist Atris in her endeavors here on Dantooine in whatever manner she desires. He did not specify as to what that actually meant I would be doing. So far I have found myself forced into the roles of a bellhop, a waiter, and a babysitter. Not exactly unenjoyable occupations in their own right… I just wish the tips were better…"

He had every bit the sarcastic tone Master Kavar had warned Quatra about, and truthfully the young Master found it quite amusing; a nice break from the often monotone conversations she had to endure among the Masters.

"Very well, Padawan Lugo," the Master responded in what voice that Atris felt was too friendly for a Master to address a Padawan with, or anyone else for that matter, "from what Master Kavar has conferred to me, while you are here on Dantooine, your will be responsible for standing guard over Atris while she is conducting her examinations of the local ruins."

"A simple explanation…?" Kai exclaimed almost as if shocked by it. "I did not know Jedi Masters were capable of such a thing…"

Sarcastic indeed, Quatra mused…

"He will only be assisting me, Master Quatra," the young Historian interjected, "I do not require a bodyguard, as I had explained to my Master before we left. I am proficient enough in the ways of lightsaber combat to defend myself from mere beasts."

The young Master eyed the Historian curiously for a moment, thinking perhaps she had heard a slight undertone within the Echani's voice that hinted at a disdain for her Guardian counterpart rather than a pragmatic perspective.

"Perhaps, young Knight," Quatra calmly responded, "but you are not as proficient as him, correct?"

Atris nearly attempted to refute the Master's claim, but found the words caught within her throat at realized the factuality of it. She had known the raven-haired boy long enough to have learned of his… overzealous abilities in combat.

"And besides," the Jedi Master continued, "I doubt you would want to waste your time fending off bothersome beasts while attempting to complete your examinations…"

It was a reason the noble girl was more willing to accept.

"Fair enough…" The Echani looked upon green-eyed Padawan with indifference. "I trust you will be able to rise above your childish antics and ways to take your responsibility seriously, Padawan…"

Was she poking fun at him, Kai wondered as he looked back upon the young girl with unsure eyes?

No, he quickly answered for himself.

As always, she was genuinely insulting him.

Not for a lack of trying to persuade her, Kai has never once known the Historian to partake of comical antics; despite certain acts like the pleasant awakening she had given him earlier hinting at something that might border on being a sense of humor.

"I'm not too worried," the Guardian responded evenly, "I doubt kath hounds would find all that hot air you're full of very appetizing…"

Lugo finished off with a mocking bow, "but I shall endeavor to spare the poor beasts from such horrid indigestion…"

He knew he was pushing his luck with the Echani as he felt the dark gaze cutting through him even before he looked back up to greet it. Fortunately Quatra, after forcibly suppressing the urge to laugh into a barely controlled smile, spoke up before Atris could respond.

"Well, Padawan Kai, Knight Atris, I hope you both will find your stay here a pleasant one," the Master spoke softly, ending the rising tension between the pair as she brought their eyes upon herself. "The local Council will most likely be asking for your presence within the hour, but before that, I decided it would be best if I gave you a small tour of the local facilities. You will find that our complexes and teaching methods here on Dantooine are more… compact than those of Coruscant. You both will be expected to maintain your basic training while you are here, so please make use of whatever means we have to offer."

"I will," Atris quickly responded.

"_We_ will," Kai corrected.

They truly were an interesting combination, Quatra quietly thought to herself, so unlike each other… Perhaps that was the reason Kavar had decided to have the enigmatic Padawan accompany the pragmatic Echani.

The young Master smiled warmly. "Very good, if you will follow me…"

Quatra slowly turned about and started for the exit, the two students following silently in step with her. As they left the landing pad behind them, the Master found she could not deny that she herself was developing an interest into this little scenario that Kavar had set up. Kai was different from the others, of that she could see clearly. And it would be fascinating to see just how unique he truly was…

The sound of metal ringing could be heard by the trio as they came upon an exit to the hall they were traversing.

"These are our combat training grounds," Quatra explained as they came to a stop after having rounded the corner to see what lay beyond. "Here is where our more advanced students practice their lightsaber forms, as well as their basic Force techniques."

A large open-sky room stood before the trio, filled to the brim with Padawans, all in the midst of training. Several pairs stood about randomly facing each other, dulled vibroblades secure within their palms, attacking and countering their opponents with basic offenses and blocks.

Within one part of the room several stone blocks ranging in size and weight sat upon the ground with a group of students standing around them, their hands outstretched as they attempted to push, pull, and levitate the heavy structures, most producing small or moderate affect.

Several other groups dotted the place, each participating in one form of training or another.

The only actual ones within the room that presently had their lightsabers drawn was a small group of five students standing in a quiet corner, far from the other students and with a good five or six feet between each of them. With calm yet controlled motions, they cycled through their combat stances, perfectly mirroring each other in both motion and style.

Among the hard training youths, a few older Jedi walked about, watching the trainees with eagle-sharp eyes.

Quatra found a smile slowly making its way upon her lips. Though she knew that perhaps it was foolish, she could not help but feel a strong sense of pride as she watched her students going about their training with calm yet stern focus. It was the fruits of both her and their labors, and it was bountiful.

Atris, predictably, took in the commotion with a passive interest, only bothering to make note of the styles of training she was witnessing and disregarding everything else.

Kai, though far more attentive than his counterpart was to what was going on in front of him, remained rather passive in his expression, which Quatra could not help but notice, having a good idea of why.

Having been kept rather isolated from other Padawans, especially large groups of them, young Lugo could not help but feel off-balanced in seeing and being around so many other students close to or above his own age. It was unusual for him…

"All Padawans are scheduled for spending at least an hour a day within this room, under the supervision of the Knights assigned here," Quatra pointed out to the pair. "Rather than going through the pains of deducing the most appropriate time for you to complete your martial studies, I shall allow you the choice of coming here at your leisure."

It suddenly hit the Master right after having said this that she should not have made that offer. With the other Masters currently debating whether to even allow Kai to remain on Dantooine, and with the young Guardian's proficiency for such a thing, offering him to partake of combat training at his own discretion was not the smartest choice to make.

Still, Quatra had already offered it and she could not risk possible suspicion if she were to just take it back.

"Let us continue… there are other facilities you should know about," she quickly added.

"Agreed," Atris responded, having little interest for such a thing. As Quatra turned to lead them away, the Echani teenager spoke up to catch her attention.

"I'm curious, Master Quatra, what information could the Enclave's Archives contain about the local ruins? Perhaps I should be allowed to delve into the records for possible knowledge that may help my investigations."

The young Master turned to face the Historian, a bit caught off guard by the girl's forwardness. It was common knowledge among the Order that the Jedi Archives were restricted from all but the Masters. And for this one to place herself high enough where she felt justified in having the restriction overlooked… Quatra very well could have denied the Knight's request like she had denied her earlier one, but the Master found herself uncertain. She had already been presumptuous in offering Kai the right to partake of combat training with the other Padawans, would the other Masters agree with her if she chose to deny Atris' request right then and there?

"You know the Archives are restricted to Masters only," Quatra clearly pointed out to the girl. "However… if you feel certain that you should be permitted access for the sake of your research, you will have the chance to bring your request before the Council."

"Very good," Atris responded, as if she had already gotten what she had desired.

"If they refuse you, however," Quatra stated with a slightly harder tone, "students are allowed access to our public archives that contain much data on local history and events. Perhaps you might be able to find some desirable information there…"

"Perhaps…" Atris echoed calmly, "If you would please show them them to me …"

Without another word being said between them, Quatra started down the hall with the Historian following close behind.

Kai stood silently for a moment, casting a confused look and scratching his head as he looked in the direction of the two women, a sadly amused smile forming upon his lips as he began to follow.

"A Historian versus a Teacher… Who will be the victor…?"

Despite the public archives being relatively large in size, with datapads and old tomes covering every shelf, relatively few students were currently making use of them as the trio made their way into the room.

In fact, there was only one student…

A small boy of no more than perhaps eight years with short blonde hair and blue eyes sat among the many empty tables that filled the room, a datapad lying before him.

Quatra recognized the young child immediately upon entering the room, having seen him alone in here many times before, and smiled her amusement at the fact the boy was so enthralled by what he was reading that he had not even noticed their intrusion. Both his hands held the datapad on the table as he read through it, his feet swinging freely as his legs were too short to even reach the ground.

It was a scene the Master had seen many times, and for some reason she did not understand, she appreciated it very much.

Silently she approached the child with the two Padawans behind her. Yet only Kai paid the boy any heed, Atris having chosen to wander off a bit to focus her attention on the many records that surrounded them.

"Hello Mical," Master Quatra called out in what Kai would have described as a very motherly voice if he knew what such a voice was like.

The young boy's head popped up with a fast jerk at the sound of his name, and upon seeing the Master standing opposite of the table from him, he jumped up as fast as he could, nearly stumbling over when his feet hit the ground as his legs were a bit numb from sitting for too long.

"G…Greetings, Master Quatra," young Mical blurted out, either being unsure of himself or, more likely, simply surprised by the sudden attention he was getting. "Wha… how may I be of service?"

The scene made Kai smile his amusement, though he refrained from laughing as to not insult the kid.

Rather, the young Guardian decided to address the boy himself in hopes of calming the child's jitters.

"Well met, Mical," Kai said as he stepped forward next to Quatra, his arms unthreateningly crossed behind his back, "My name is Kai Lugo."

The green-eyed Jedi finished with a polite bow to the young one, to which Mical returned with uncertainty.

"H-hello…" the little child responded, seeming a bit intimidated by the older boy.

"Master Quatra," Atris spoke up, catching the woman's and everyone else's attention, "I would like to quickly look through these records to see if there indeed is anything here that might help my research."

"Very well," Quatra responded without any vice, "take a minute to see what might help you."

The Historian only offered a small nod of appreciation before she disappeared beyond some shelves to begin her search.

The young Master could not help but perceive the noticeable changes within the Echani's tone. At times young Atris seemed rather forward, even rude towards her. At other times she retained a politeness that the Master was more used to receiving from the many Knights and Padawans that worked under her supervision. It was almost as if Atris was unsure of herself on some level. Or, at least, unsure of how she should address her superiors…

Perhaps the white-maned girl was testing her, Quatra wondered, examining what levels of freedom and privelege the young Master would allow unto her. The young woman was suddenly reminded of how Kavar had responded when the two had first discussed the Echani girl. He had seemed… unsupportive or her rise in stature, and the prospect of her becoming a Master so quickly.

Being unable to think of anything within the Archives that would particularly interest the young Guardian, Kai turned back around to face small Mical once again, who immediately turned his eyes away.

Such a quiet, timid child, Kai silently thought to himself as he looked upon the boy with a soft smile. The Guardian inexpectedly found himself assaulted with nostalgia as he looked upon the youngling, something he usually avoided as it often led to less enjoyable memories. Yet within Mical's faces, Kai could not help but see the faces of so many others…

Sharply closing his eyes and shaking his head, the raven-haired teenager forced the memories back down into the shadows of his mind. They were… too unsetling for him to think upon without being overwhelmed, and now was not the appropriate time.

Focusing his thoughts outwardly, Kai opened his gaze to look upon young Mical once again.

"Well, it seems we are going to be here for a little bit. So tell me, Mical, what are you studying so single-mindedly upon? It must be pretty exciting to have grasped your attention so completely…"

That was obviously the right thing to say as it put the boy back into his comfort zone, his voice becoming smooth with confidence as he grabbed at the datapad. "It is very fascinating, Mister Lugo. I have been reading upon the history of the Arkanians. Do you know of them?"

"A little," Kai answered, taking the seat next to where Mical had been sitting and offering to the young boy to sit back down, which he happily did. "What can you tell me about them?"

"They are a really amazing people," Mical responded excitedly, turning the datapad in his hand so Kai could look on it as well.

As the young boy began to go off on an enthusiastic lecture on the ways and history of the Arkanian race, Kai listening intently with a comforting smile on his face, Quatra found herself watching in silent curiosity.

It was strange, she thought to herself. She had never seen little Mical take to another so quickly. He had shown to be of an inquisitive nature, watching the other students as they went about their studies and taking what he could from it, but always at a distance. Rare was it for him to socialize with his fellow Padawans, doing so more often times out of obligation than of desire. Such explained his frequent longing for sanctuary within the Public Archives, Quatra having noted his singular presence within the library for hours on end, day after day.

Still… Quatra had often wished for a long time that Mical would open up even just a little to another student. How surprised was she when it finally did happen.

All it took from Kai was a kind, welcoming voice and sincere interest, and the small boy who usually liked to study by himself was speaking to the Guardian as one would a best friend, a big brother, or some one else for which one was bonded to-

…Bonded to…

Quatra suddenly remembered!

"Kai, Atris," the Master called out, pulling Lugo's and Mical's attention upon her. The Historian quickly appeared from behind a bookcase to look upon the Master, a datapad already resting within her hand.

"There are still other facilities within the Enclave," the Master continued in a calm voice. "If you both desire to come back here later, you will have the time to do so."

For but a moment, Kai and Atris simply stared upon the Jedi Master, both a bit caught off guard by how, despite her calm tone, there was a sense of needing to leave immediately. Anything she possibly needed to show them could not be that dire…

Still, this was not their home, and they were not equipped to question or contest a Master's intent.

"Very well," Atris replied as she placed the datapad back upon the shelf.

"If you say so…," Kai conceded as he pushed back his chair and stood up. Before stepping out from where he stood, the green-eyed teenager looked back down upon Mical as the boy remained sitting, a rather depressed look having formed quickly upon his face.

Smiling cheerfully, the young Guardian dropped an open hand atop the young boy's head, bringing the child's attention upon him.

"If I come back later, will you have more to tell me about the Arkanians?"

The brightness quickly returned to the child's face. "Sure! Lots more!"

"Alright then, later it is," Lugo replied with a smile, rubbing the top of the boy's head and messing his hair up a little. "Just don't burn your brain out looking at a datapad all day."

Mical let out a small laugh as he tried to straighten out his hair.

"See you later, Mister Lugo."

"I'm not old yet, kid. Just call me Kai," the young Guardian responded as he started to follow Quatra and Atris out of the room.

"Okay, Kai," Mical called out towards the teenager's turned back.

Lugo held up a hand to wave goodbye as he disappeared beyond the corridor.

Alone once again, Mical returned to quietly studying as before.

Only this time, he found himself smiling a bit…

The trio found themselves once again walking the halls of the Enclave in silence, each being deep within their occupying thoughts that had formed from their visit to the public archives.

For Atris, it was nothing severe. In the five minutes or so they had spent within the library, she had located a record on the local kath hound herds and their seasonal migration patterns. From what she had noticed when having scanned over the datapad, the occupation of the ancient ruins by the beasts was not an uncommon event. In fact, local farmers apparently have been able to keep record of it for several generations, calling the event a 'natural phenomenon' that none apparently could explain. The area around the ruins did not provide the packs with any specific advantage, nor did the area provide a reliable food supply for the hounds. So why did they commonly choose to converge among the ruins?

Master Quatra, on the other hand, found herself consumed with questions and concerns. Could she possibly have been overreacting to Mical's openness with Kai? After all, the only thing the young Guardian had done was be friendly. Certainly nothing troubling could have spawned from simply that… right? The young Master found that she had to remind herself that this was not a matter of intent. Kai was not even aware of his own uniqueness, let alone how he seemed to affect those around him. As Quatra looked over her shoulder to glance upon the green-eyed boy, she found the teenager was lost within his own thoughts.

Indeed, Lugo had much on his mind as well, but nothing that stemmed particularly from what had occurred within the public Archives, though he knew that young Mical had been the stimulator of what now consumed him. Memories of several years past had found their way from the deepest recesses of Kai's mind back to the forefront of his consciousness. Memories of the street urchin he had once been, running from slavers, half-starving to death, collapsing from exhaustion within dark alleys, and stealing the petty change and food scraps of others only so he may go through it all again another day.

He had escaped that life…

Many did not…

"Mical took quite a liking to you, Kai," Quatra spoke up, ripping Lugo away from his deep thoughts.

The Guardian smiled with a shrug of his shoulders. "Kids often have a lot to say, even when there is no reason to say anything."

The young Master gave a humored smile, knowing the truth of Lugo's words quite well. She found that the values of clear thought and reflection were not things the younglings of the Enclave were quick to learn. Ironically, Quatra believed that such chaotic thinking and speaking among her youngest students had leaded her to be considered a very patient and understanding teacher.

"You're a lucky one then, Padawan. A lot of the children I work with act as if they would rather die than speak to me of their troubles," Quatra remarked passively.

The silence that was returned to her had caught the Master's attention more strongly than had the young Guardian spoken back. As she looked upon him once again, she saw that her words had an unexpected affect on the boy, as his now down-turned gaze radiated with a cold nostalgia.

Though Atris had kept silent while the three of them were traversing the Enclave grounds, she also looked over slightly upon the Padawan when he suddenly became strangely mute, for she too could feel the deep mist that had formed within his mind. Inquiringly she watched him in that short moment as they continued onward, surprised to see such a dark shadow form upon the boy she had begrudgingly come to know over the last few years. She had never seen anything close to the look Kai had right then upon him before, despite the fact she believed him to commonly flaunt his emotions. Anger, loneliness, humor, sadness, joy, she had seen him express these feelings more times than she felt was practical for a Padawan. But the feeling that filled his eyes right then was like none of the ones before. It was silent, isolative, dark… and painful…

What was this hollow feeling? Where did it come from? The Echani Knight did not know… and so, after a few seconds, she chose to ignore it and Lugo, turning back to thoughts that more concerned her.

"Kai…" Quatra quickly spoke up in a concerned voice, "are you alright?"

Just like that, the darkness immediately fell away from Lugo's eyes as he looked back up. "Yes, Master Quatra, I'm fine, thank you. Just… you know… thinking a little too much…"

Quatra continued to stare at the Padawan for a moment longer, than lightly nodded her acceptance of his response before looking away. However the Master was far from placing what she had felt within the young Guardian out of her mind, as it had fallen upon her senses like a dark shadow among sunlight. The sensation that had suddenly appeared within Kai, it was like nothing the woman had ever felt before. In the many years for which she had been among the Order, Quatra had learned to feel and recognize the emotions of others. Anger, fear, sadness, even love, the well-trained Master had seen various forms of each, had learned to recognize them and their sources.

Yet what she felt within Kai was so much different.

It had pain, it had sorrow, it had anger, but it had no form…

It existed beyond Quatra's sight, and yet she felt… heard… its presence within Kai, not so much coming from him… but rather… through him… like several dozen voices were bouncing off of him in an echo…

Quatra had to forcibly center her thoughts as she felt the unexpected presence of anxiety building within. There was something unnerving about this feeling, like it was beyond her will to control.

Still… was she really afraid…?

"_Excuse me," _a voice from behind the group suddenly greeted them, cutting through each of their thoughts as they turned around to inspect the source, finding it to be one of the many protocol droids that inhabited the Enclave.

"Yes?" Master Quatra responded for the three of them.

"_The Council has requested your immediate presence, Master Quatra, Knight Atris, Padawan Kai,"_ the machine responded in its metallic voice.

"Already?" With the amount of tension she had left behind her in that room, Quatra had thought it would be quite a while before they would reach any sort of consensus. For them to have come to be conclusive so quickly did not bode well for young Lugo's assignment, as time had taught the teacher that optimism was far easier and quicker to be dissuaded than pessimism.

Still, after what she had just… experienced… perhaps such conservative thinking would be best in this matter, even if it was not the best for Kai…


	3. Chapter 3

**Way of the Guardian: Chapter 3**

It was an unwritten tradition for the Jedi Council that, whenever given the opportunity to do so, they would sit together in silence before meeting with anyone, giving each of them a moment to let their minds become tranquil in order to allow their perceptions to view a matter in a whole. Now was no different as the heads of the Enclave waited for the presence of the summoned.

Within this moment, uncertainties were taken into great consideration, allowing each Master to find a state of mind beyond their preconceptions, giving them the chance to be prepared to ask what was needed with utmost clarity.

Much had been said between the Council members in the short time they have had to discuss this most unconventional situation. Opinions had been stated. Fears and concerns had been expressed. And a decision had been reached. Though it was safe to say that despite this the doubts of some remained ever lingering, and in the end it would all come down to what they would perceive in the next few minutes.

"You summoned us, Masters."

The eyes of every Council member turned to greet the forms of the three that entered the chamber, each taking a moment longer to look upon one in particular…

Again, Master Quatra found herself uncomfortable as once more the eyes of the other Council members looked upon her, making her silently wish that they had only summoned for the two guests from Coruscant instead of calling for her presence as well. She would have moved to take her seat among them if she were not sure that they were judging her right then as much as the other two.

Atris, on the other hand, felt no sense of insecurity within the least. Life as both a noble and a Jedi Protégé had often made her the center of attention for many sets of eyes, to which she had grown accustomed to very quickly.

Kai, on the other hand, found himself much in the same boat as Master Quatra was in right then, wishing to be somewhere else. He did not like being within the presence of so many Masters at once, as he found that often they proved to be very opinionated about him, as if something about what he was assaulted them in a personal manner. From the way the Master in the center of the Council glared at him with dark eyes, the young Guardian saw that the tension within the room was already on the rise.

However, as Kai looked to the right of the elderly man, he quickly found a reprise from that discomfort, and even a sense of joy.

It had been many years since the young Guardian had last laid eyes upon the one that had saved him, and the many orphans like him, from a better-off forgotten life long ago. But despite the desire to personally greet Master Vandar, Kai kept his respective silence while in the presence of the Council. Beyond Vandar, Lugo did not know any of the other Masters that sat before him, watching him and his counterparts with calculative stares.

"Knight Atris, Padawan Kai," called out the elderly man with the trial of time and hardships reflecting clearly within his expression and eyes, "step forward."

In silent concession, the two teenagers did as told, with Master Quatra staying behind to watch the other Council members carefully for any sign of what possible decision they had reached, unable to guess.

"I am Master Vrook," the Council member continued on, "with me are Master Dorak, the Archive Chronicler, Master Vandar, Head of the Enclave, and Master Zhar. You have already met Master Quatra…"

"Masters…" Atris responded in a very respective tone, one which Kai was unused to hearing. As the Echani girl lightly bowed her head to the Council, the raven-haired teenager mimicked his counterpart as to avoid seeming rude.

It was strange, Kai noted, every one of the Masters, even Vandar, were looking upon them as if they had seen something strange about them. His eyes stealing a glance over at Atris, the young Padawan was hardly surprised. The Historian, as always, stood with her dignity worn clearly on her sleeves. Whites robes, well-kept appearance, a monotone gaze, perhaps such things were the traits the Masters desired among their number, in which case Kai was in for a world of trouble.

Never mind the fact that he had woken up less than an hour ago with no time to really clean up his appearance, the young Guardian had no idea as to how he should be presenting himself or even how to speak directly to the Council. He may have been able to get away with sarcasm when it came to Master Kavar and Quatra, but when it came to groups of judgmental, old men, Lugo found his tongue retreating into his throat, afraid of letting it slip out and say something it shouldn't.

Fortunately the Master that had first addressed them finally continued, and even more fortunate, he was addressing the Echani.

"Knight Atris…" a rather passive voice pronounced, "you're Master has sent you here to research the local artifacts, correct?"

"Yes, Master Vrook."

Yes Master Vrook? That's it? Both Kai and Quatra had expected the usual tone of superiority out of the noble girl. Something along the lines of "that is correct…" with an annoyed undertone to display her irritation at being questioned.

Yes Master Vrook?

"Do you think you are qualified for such an endeavor by yourself?"

"Yes, Master Vrook."

Again? No high-and-mighty words. No demeaning tone. She answered both simply and respectively. What was she up to?

Apparently satisfied, Vrook lightly nodded his head. "Very well, Knight Atris. The Council will be interested in whatever findings you may have. Have a copy of your report prepared for us when you are finished. That is all."

Well, that was quick, and relatively painless, the young Guardian noted. Hopefully the same will be true for when they got around to him.

"Before I am dismissed, Masters," the Historian suddenly spoke up. "I have a request to make. I desire to be as thorough within my work as I can possibly be. And while I have access to the records in the Public Archives, from what I have already seen, I do not believe the information I will find there will be as… meticulous as what the Jedi Archives hold."

And there it was… Neither Kai nor Quatra had actually expected her to make such a request. But then again, neither of them had expected her to be so… nice about it either.

Yet this paled in comparison to the shock the two onlookers felt by the response the Council gave onto the Historian: utter silence.

It should have been simple: none but the Masters were allowed to partake of the Jedi Archives. Such had been the rule since long before any of those currently sitting within this room were even born, and none had ever heard of it ever being overlooked.

Yet by the way they seemed to pause… Were they actually contemplating it?

Was her case really that strong?

Eventually, Master Vrook spoke up again, yet by asking a question rather than giving an answer. "You are aware that the Jedi Archives are forbidden to all but the Masters of the Order?"

"Yes Master Vrook, but I am not asking for unsupervised nor uninhibited access. I would only have access to what I am limited to, and I only have interest in information related to my task, nothing more."

She was choosing her words carefully, reinforcing her position and yet remaining un-aggressive. Kai had no idea that she could play a character so effectively…

Or perhaps this was a side of Atris the Padawan had never seen before…

He was more ready to believe the former than the latter…

Regardless, did the Council really believe it? Would it matter?

In an act that caused Master Quatra to choke on her own breath, Vrook, rather than giving an outright rejection, turned to Master Dorak. "Though I would be hesitant in allowing even a well-reputed Knight to have access, the decision nevertheless falls to the Chronicler of the Jedi Archives."

A stiff wind probably could have knocked Quatra over right then.

Dorak lightly rubbed his chin as he silently contemplated to himself. It was a difficult decision, one no Master had ever made before. Why would he consider it? Yes, he was more lenient in his methods as a Master than some of the others, and it was not exactly a rule that said that none save the Masters had access to the archives. But still, it was a tradition that spanned back several thousand generations. Why would he contemplate it simply at the request of one Knight, even if Atris' intentions were simple and honorable?

The Master eventually lowered his hand and raised his eyes back upon the Echani Knight. "It should first be noted that I am but a fill-in at this moment for Master Bala Nisi, as she has been sent to deal with affairs off world. While she and I may not share each other's views on every situation, I respect the fact that this is truly her role and responsibility, and as such I am force to consider what her choice would be in every decision I have made while here. And I believe she would be quick in reminding you that we do not follow our traditions simply out of otherwise uncertainty or skepticism, young Atris. Past experiences and history have taught the Jedi the dangers of when powerful knowledge is left unprohibited. Though I do not believe you would take advantage of access to such knowledge for personal gain, or even seek beyond the limits of your assignment, the risk of you simply stumbling onto something that you are not yet ready to see or know is too great."

"I understand, Master Dorak," Atris responded humbly.

That was it? No raging ego, no arrogant words lashing out. She accepted the choice with no refute or retaliation. Kai did not know Atris could be so… humble.

Quatra, on the other hand, found it aggravating to see the Historian treating the other Masters with a tad more respect. She was a Master too! Not only that, she was also a Council Member! Yes, she was younger than the others and young in general, but that should not make a difference!

Closing her eyes for a moment, the Master breathed out her aggravation slowly. She knew better than to let her emotions get the better of her. And besides, she knew that by carrying the title of Jedi Master and being appointed teacher for so many hopefuls and Padawans that she had already proven herself worthy of her position. She need not prove it to the Echani. Perhaps being denied now was exactly the kind of thing the young Historian needed to remind her that she had yet proven herself to them.

"However…"

All eyes quickly shot back upon Master Dorak.

"I have no desire to hinder you in your research, young Knight, and I do not believe Master Bala would desire that as well. So rather than give you direct access to our records, I am willing to bring you any desired information you want from the Jedi Archives, so long as I deem such desire reasonable and the information un-hazardous."

Though everyone in the room could imagine the gratification Atris must have been feeling at the time, her monotone disposition showed no hint of it, even as she bowed lightly towards the Keeper of the Archives. "Thank you for placing your trust in me."

Dorak returned a simple nod. "We will be interested in seeing what your reports turn up, young Knight. Please wait outside until we are done here, and may the Force be with you."

With one last bow towards the Council, Atris turned and stepped away, walking out of the room without a word or look with anyone, and leaving Kai to stand alone before the Masters.

Needless to say, he was a bit uncomfortable at suddenly having so much attention upon him.

"Padawan Kai Lugo, step forward," Master Vrook called out.

Slowly but surely, Kai approached the Council, hesitance making each of his steps heavy.

As Master Quatra stood off to the side, silently watching the scene play out, she found her self feeling sympathetic towards the young boy. Who could blame him for being stressed with so many powerful figures watching him like hawks, probing at him with their eyes like a research specimen?

And they would continue to watch him as such if he stayed on Dantooine. Perhaps returning to Coruscant would be the best thing for him after all…

Luckily Quatra was not the only sympathetic Master within the room.

"Ah, young Kai," Master Vandar suddenly spoke with a warm smile, much to the surprise of the other Council Members. "It is good to see you again. Your Jedi training on Coruscant has been going well, yes?"

Most of those present were a bit caught off guard by the elderly Master's tone, which while being formal enough for a Master to use when speaking to a Padawan, was hinted with a touch of the familiarity between the little green alien and the young Guardian.

Kai was appreciative at the sound of a familiar, warm voice while in such a cold position. "Yes, Master Vandar. The Masters on Coruscant have been most assistive in teaching me the ways of the Jedi."

"That is good to know, Padawan Kai. We've also heard that you have undertaken the role of a Jedi Guardian, and that Master Kavar has taken it upon himself to teach you the ways of lightsaber combat, correct?"

The raven-haired youth nodded softly. "Yes he has. He has been a tremendous help to me over the years with many things. I owe him a great debt for what he has given unto me."

Though Kai could not say that being asked such things bothered him, he also could not help but be curious as to why the Council would desire to hear such trivial things. Surely they would have more important matters to worry about than how his training was going…

Still, he enjoyed speaking to Master Vandar again after so long that he did not think much of why he was being asked such questions.

"Padawan Lugo."

Master Vrook's voice cut into Kai with an unwelcomed result; placing him mentally back on that pedestal of judgment Vandar had mercifully tried to spare him from. But there was no mercy for him now…

Vrook stared hard at the young boy. "You have been sent here on a mission to guard Knight Atris while she is studying on in the ruins, correct?"

"…Yes, Master Vrook, that is correct," Kai responded, un-surety filling his voice, both of his own position and of the Master's intent.

"Are you aware that the Council was not informed of this arrogant decision made to send you here, before you even left Coruscant?"

Kai suddenly found his tongue choking as he felt a wave of accusation suddenly focused on him. Still, he managed to speak the truth as he knew it. "N-no, Master Vrook… I am… was not aware of this…"

What was Master Vrook doing, Quatra wondered as she watched the scene playing out before her? Why did he not simply tell Kai the Council's decision to let him stay or send him back? Why was he suddenly questioning him?

It suddenly hit the young Master…

Vrook was interrogating the kid…

"You were not aware?" the old Master echoed back at the boy as if he suspected him of lying. "Are you saying you did not think it strange that Kavar sent you along with Atris at the last second? Did you not question why you were being sent on such an unusual assignment?"

"I…yes… I mean…!" Kai continued to stumble, taking a moment to close his eyes and clear his thoughts. "I… thought it strange, yes… But I saw no reason to question Master Kavar…"

Vrook suddenly leaned back in his chair, as if partly satisfied by this answer. "Being negligible in your role does not make you any less responsible for your actions. Know the reason for everything you do or risk being led by dark powers."

Damn him! Quatra's eyes went dark as she stared daggers at the elderly Master, cursing him for forcing the situation on Lugo as if he had some fault in this! And even worse, was Vrook actually lecturing him at the same time?

Looking over to Master Vandar, Quatra silently hoped that he would speak up again and at least spare the kid from such harsh questioning. But by the way the elderly Master sat silently looking upon the young Guardian, it was apparent that he had no intention of stepping in.

Was this what they had decided on? That Kai would be questioned and condemned like a criminal?

She wanted to interject at this point and save Kai from having to suffer this meeting that had suddenly become an interrogation, but knew that doing so now would not change anything. And also, she knew that she was just as much in the hot seat as apparently Kai now was. Silently, Quatra remained on the sideline, watching Kai intently and hoping that he pulled through this okay.

And just as quickly as Kai was put to the test did the Council suddenly find themselves put on the stand, as the young Guardian asked a question.

"Master Vrook… forgive me for asking, but why is it so critical that Master Kavar did not inform the Council of this decision? I am given assignments by the Masters of Coruscant on a daily basis, and have assisted Master Kavar in guarding others on several occasions. Albeit that this is my first time doing so by myself-"

"-And do you believe you are ready for such?" Vrook leaned forward as he immediately shot a question back at the green-eyed teenager. "Do you believe that, as a Guardian, you are ready for serious duty and commitment to your role, with none to provide you haven should things go wrong?"

Kai immediately believed that was what all this was really about. Everyone else there knew otherwise…

Vrook had his sharp moments, Quatra had to admit…

The young Guardian hardened his features and eyes, looking straight at the Master with absolution. "Yes… I believe I am…"

For a long moment, the room went silent. The Council simply continued to look at the young Guardian, studying his sudden change in stature for sincerity.

Despite what doubts some of them may still have had, none in the room could deny that there was a strength within the youth that one did not expect to see in someone so young. It was neither arrogance nor ego. There was genuine experience and self assurance within his eyes and thoughts. And even Master Vrook could not deny it.

A heavy sigh escaped from old man as he leaned back in his seat. He then turned to look at each of the Masters one-by-one.

Not Zhar.

Not Dorak.

Not Vandar.

None of them had any objections left.

Finally, Vrook nodded in consent. "Very well, young Padawan. You are responsible for Atris' safety for as long as she is on Dantooine. Be devoted to the responsibility you have been given and put it above all else."

Though perhaps it was out of place, an appreciative smile crossed the young teenager's lips as he made one last bow. "Thank you, Masters. I will not fail you."

"Be sure that you don't," Vrook responded firmly, "May the Force be with you."

With one last nod, Kai turned on his heel and headed for the exit, stopping just before he passed Quatra.

"I'll be with Mical if you need me…"

A strong concern quickly built up within the young Master, tempting her to order the Padawan to wait outside for her. After what she had felt, placing Mical anywhere near this one was …

No…

She must not allow herself to be so presumptuous in what Kai was capable of involuntarily doing. She had to be overreacting to this…

After giving Lugo a slight nod of approval, the teenager disappeared beyond the room's entrance, leaving the Masters to their own.

"Master Quatra…"

A painful ache traveled through Quatra's thoughts as Vrook called out her name.

"Step forward…"

- - -

Swing, swing, thrust, recoil, guard, parry.

Swing, swing, thrust, recoil, guard, parry.

Mical went through the movements as he had practiced countless times before. The dulled vibroblade fit snuggly in his hands, a bit too heavy for his tiny arms. A light sweat dotted his forehead with little beads threatening to drip into his eyes, constantly forcing him to wipe them away.

Why did he have to do this for an hour every day? Combat practice only served to distract him from his studies, as he perceived it. Never once had he showed any interest in developing martial skills, and yet still he found himself forced onto the training grounds everyday, lest he risk becoming forbidden from entering the Public Archives.

As per his usual routine, young Mical found a quiet corner within the room away from the other students, where he could spend his needed hour of practice and then leave quietly. Unfortunately the knights currently assigned to watching over the students within the training grounds had the eyes of hawks, watching the Padawans intently. Meaning that poor Mical was not going to be able to spend the hour just standing around.

With an aggravated grunt, the small boy once again fell within his combat stance and traversed the movements.

Swing, swing, thrust, recoil, guard, parry.

Swing, swing, thrust, recoil, guard, parry.

Swing, swing-

Like a fish through water, the blade flew straight out of Mical's slippery hands as he slashed too hard, sending it swirling wildly towards one the training groups.

"Argh!"

A Padawan several years Mical's senior screamed out as the hilt of the blade smashed hard into his shoulder, causing all eyes within the room to quickly turned upon him, then upon the vibroblades that clamored to the floor, and then upon the young boy who obviously threw it.

Like a vice, every muscle within Mical's body tightened up as he suddenly found himself the focus of well over thirty pairs of eyes. He looked among them nervously for some sign of relief, but found that none came to him.

"Hey!" All eyes quickly shot to the owner of the voice, the Padawan Mical's blade had hit, as he angrily approached the little kid. Every step that the older boy took towards him forced little Mical to look up that much higher, to the point where he was bending his neck far back as the teenager now stood right in front of him. "What the hell did you hit me for!?"

Mical's jaw clamped shut as he looked up at the guy with trembling eyes. He was not used to attention in a calm environment, let alone when so much violent emotion was suddenly lashing out at him.

"Did the Force suddenly make you deaf!?" The guy yelled out, then grabbing at Mical's collar and yanking him up the tips of his boots. "Why the hell did you throw that at me!?"

"That's enough, Padawan," one of the Knights finally called out, though too calmly for the needed sense of authority. "It was an accident. Stem your anger and let the boy go."

"I'll let him go once he apologizes to me!" The boy yelled in response, never taking his eyes away from the youth he gripped tightly. "So… apologize to me already!"

Mical continued to look blankly up at him, unable to find the strength of will to make his tongue work. "I…I, uh…"

"What!?" the older Padawan screamed in his face, giving him a hard jerk on his shirt. "You what!?"

"I, I… uh…"

"Say it already!"

A gloved hand suddenly shot out of nowhere and grabbed at the Padawan's wrist, clasping down on it painfully and forcing it to release the cloth caught in its fingers, causing Mical to drop backwards on the ground.

In a swift motion, the Padawan's arm was yanked behind his back and pushed upward, sending a wave of pain jolting through it that forced another painful yell out of him.

"I'll apologize for him," Kai calmly spoke as he held the guy's arm firmly in a lock, twisting it just enough to make sure the pain was constant. "He lost his grip on the sword and accidentally flung it in your direction. Careless, I know, but unintentional. Do you accept his apology?"

The Padawan strained his neck to look behind him at the green-eyed individual, giving him a wrathful look that was met only by indifference. "Who the hell are y-"

A hard jerk on his wrist caused his voice to choke.

"Do you accept his apology," Kai asked again, unresponsive the many shocked stares the other Padawans, and even the Knights, were giving him.

"Argh! Yes, now let me go!"

Completely within control, Kai let go and quickly stepped back as the Padawan swung about, the anger just seeming to grow more and more within his eyes. Lugo remained calm, yet tightened his legs up a bit, just in case this guy suddenly decided to lunge at him.

And by the way the dark fire continued to burn within the Padawan's eyes, it seemed as if he intended to do just that.

"Enough…"

The voice, though calm, shattered through the moment like a rock through glass, forcing all within the room to give it heed.

All eyes turned to greet the speaker, who walked out from among the crowd like a champion among peons, which was strange considering he was no taller or older than almost anyone else there. His layered, light-brown hair, complemented by deep-brown eyes, fell down the length of his neck, adding to his youngish, yet oddly mature look.

There was something about him that demanded both attention and respect, with even Kai finding himself noticing his charismatic stature that seemed to stem from something beyond the physical.

"You're done here, Bandon…"

The angered Padawan quickly found his drive again. "This has nothing to do with you! I will not stand by while I am made out to be a fool!"

"You're anger is making you the fool, not him," the unnamed one countered with surety in his words. "You have much left to learn in the ways of the Jedi, Bandon. Do not prove yourself to be subservient to mere pride and pettiness."

Whether such words actually reached Bandon, none could say, but for whatever reason it was, the Padawan visibly suppressed the anger within him. Without looking at either Kai or Mical, Bandon walked away, aggression visible in every step, with the whole of the room watching him as he left.

The brown-haired teenager looked about as if just noticing the many idle spectators. "I am sure all of you have something better to do right now…"

Though slow to act, everyone returned to their occupations without a word as if the whole scene before had not occurred.

Rather than leave for his own endeavors, the brown-eyed Jedi turned back about to look anonymously upon the raven-haired Padawan as he walked over to assist the youngling that remained scrounged on the floor.

"It was lucky that you left me a note in the Archives, telling me to find you here," Kai commented as he yanked the small boy back up to his feet. "You chose the wrong Padawan to throw your sword at."

"It… it was an accident…" Mical kept his eyes turned downwards, still a bit shaken by the incident, or rather ashamed.

"I know," Lugo assured him as he walked over to where Bandon had once been practicing and picked up the vibroblade. "But even accidents have causes that place responsibility. Why were you swinging so hard with the risk of losing your grasp?"

"I don't like fighting," Mical quickly shot back in defense. "I'm no good at it, and have never shown an interest in learning. Why am I forced to do this everyday if it serves me no purpose?"

Kai paused and eyed the youngling with an arched eyebrow, then continued forward chuckling lightly behind a smile as he offered the hilt of the blade to the kid. "You sound like an acquaintance of mine… She too sees everything in a black-and-white perspective."

"I am not narrow-minded," Mical shot back as he took the offering. "I just don't believe I will gain anything by this in the long run…"

"Is that so…" Kai remarked passively as he walked over to one of the wall stands and yanked a blade free. He then walked back over to little Mical, twirling the weapon within his right hand a little bit as to get a feel for its form and balance.

Now standing calmly a good five feet away from the boy, Kai held the blade to his side with his feet firmly place. "Attack me."

Mical's eyes went crooked with confusion. "What?"

"Attack me."

"You want to practice your guards?"

"No… I want you to attack me."

Mical continued to stare in confusion. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Appreciate it, though I doubt you will be that lucky today," the green-eyed Padawan retorted to the youngling. "Now, are you going to come at me already, or am I going to have to take the initiative here?"

Kai, taking one step forward, brought Mical to an alert state, and he immediately fell into his stance and brought his weapon before him with both hands.

"Alright," the young boy muttered with a slight sense of assurance. Focusing hard on Kai, Mical dashed forward with the sword out in front. As he got in close, he immediately thrusted the blade with all the strength of his arms, sure that he would make contact with his apparently unresponsive opponent.

A quick, downward slash completely knocked the weapon out of the youngling's hands, sending it bouncing along the ground and leaving Mical speechless as he now stood unarmed.

The raven-haired teenager managed to keep his smile to a minimum as he lightly laughed behind his lips, attempting to avoid Mical's notice.

"You mustn't hold your weapon so tightly," Kai instructed as he walked over and picked up the weapon again. "If your hands are rigid, then they will be taking the brunt of every attack."

Again, he handed off the sword to Mical, whom took it this time with a bit more humility on his face. "How can I have a loose grip if it causes me to throw my blade?"

"Simple, don't act stronger than you really are," Kai responded as he walked away then turned back around to again face Mical from about the same distance before. "Remember: a controlled attack that fails is better than an uncontrolled attack that succeeds…"

Taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves, Mical once again focused on Kai. He wouldn't mess up this time, he was sure of it.

As the two trained quietly among the other students, the unnamed Padawan continued to watch the pair from a distance, making note of the raven-haired teenager's actions and motions, and finding himself fascinated by what he was seeing.

And he was not the only one watching the strange visitor…


	4. Chapter 4

**Way of the Guardian: Chapter 4**

The usual discomfort did not find its way into Quatra as she once again stood before the Council. Rather she found herself baring a strong sense of righteous anger towards the Council, and Vrook in particular, as she had little doubt that most of what Kai had been put through was because of him.

"Control your passion, Master Quatra," Vandar consoled to the woman with a sympathetic tone. He likely understood where the anger stemmed from, even possibly sharing a bit of it himself.

"You knew he had no knowledge of the circumstances behind his journey here," Quatra stated to the Council, most pointedly towards one member in particular. "Why did you presume to question him about it?"

"We couldn't be so sure about that," Vrook responded for the others, apparently unbothered by Quatra's anger. "With what we've already seen him capable of, we had to make sure that he truly had no role to play in the matter."

"How could he possibly have had a role in this?"

"Master Kavar on Coruscant has had much contact with him, correct? And he was the one who brought this matter into fruition, through your consent…"

Quatra's eyes narrowed sharply at the man. She did not appreciate the constant reminder of her role, as if he expected her to feel a sense of guilt because of it…

She did not.

"If you do not appreciate Kavar's and my decision, fine. If Kai truly is as dangerous as you fear he could be, then we will act accordingly to help him. But I will not concede to him being looked upon or treated like an enemy. He does not deserve that."

"We do not seek to ostracize him, Master Quatra," Zhar calmly responded, "but in order for us to help him, we must be sure that he is not driven by impulses that he cannot control, and that he is willing to concede to our ways. Only then can we guide him properly, or risk not only his well-being, but that of all those whom he might be connected with…"

"Right now he seeks to prove his worth," Vrook spoke up again, "It is a good position for someone of his age to take. And from what we've seen here, he is compliant enough that we are willing to risk his consistent presence among others."

Quatra found herself casting a confused look at the man. Was that it? They were looking to see how he would respond to their questions, not for his answers?

"You were testing his obedience?"

"And it will continued to be tested while he is here," Vrook replied in a demanding tone. "Until we can be sure that he is no threat to the other students, we must make sure he is kept in control."

He only said the other students, Quatra mentally noted. He made no mention about the Masters…

Did he really think himself and the others above Kai's influence? That they could control him even when they did not know the nature of his unique ability?

As Quatra thought upon the question, another found its way into her mind, one that stirred her from her position of defending the raven-haired Guardian.

Did she think herself above the Padawan's unique power?

She had not considered it before, as at first she not thought herself within the range of possibility.

But was it possible?

Could Kai unwillingly force his will upon her?

And worse, would she even be aware of it?

The young Master closed her eyes as she silenced her thoughts. She was a Jedi Master and a teacher of hundreds of students. She could not risk second-guessing her own motives, as such doubt would ripple among those around her that needed her absolution.

"We need not be so overly concerned," Master Vandar interjected, "Kai is not one to force himself on others, nor is he confrontational in nature. His… former life, I believe, has taught him much in the ways of self control, and from what we've seen here, he still bears strongly the experiences of his youth."

Every other Master looked upon Vandar for a moment, each considering his words differently. Since Vandar, of those present, knew the young Guardian the most, none could argue his views.

Knowledge of Kai's past was vague at best, with perhaps Vandar being the only Master who knew the whole story.

"Though we may not understand the nature of his powers as of yet," the little, green Master continued, "what has been noted by those who have watched over him is that he affects only those that are actively aware of his presence, those that watch his actions and listen to his words…"

Master Zhar silently rubbed his chin for a moment before raising his eyes back up upon his compatriots. "So as long as he remains anonymous, he should have no affect among the other students…?"

"We cannot be sure of that…" Master Vrook interjected, then looking back upon Quatra who stood silently, "however… such investigation would be for the best perhaps… Unless Master Kavar had something more specific in mind?"

The young woman slowly shook her head. "He asked me to watch him and make note of any unusual happenings, nothing more…"

"Reckless…" Vrook muttered under his breath, yet loud enough for Quatra to hear it. "Then we will be charging you in investigating how far his ability reaches. He is a fresh face to the other students, so undoubtedly he will receive their attention, but make sure that he does not receive too much."

"I cannot be responsible for watching over him all the time," Quatra shot back

"Then as much as you can will have to be sufficient," Vrook responded, with a hint of sounding disappointed. "We'll trust you with this responsibility, Master Quatra."

That was his way of telling her that if anything went wrong, it would be her that would receive the sharp end of the blame.

"Remember, Master Quatra," Dorak spoke up, "it is not him that you must watch so much as it is those around him."

Quatra looked upon the Master for a moment, and then took a heavy sigh as she suddenly realized that all the responsibility of this matter was falling on her. "Very well, I shall make the necessary arrangements so that I may monitor young Lugo as needed."

With that said, Quatra made a small bow of respect, and turned for the exit.

"One more thing, Master Quatra," Vrook's voice forced the woman to pause in her tracks, then turn to face him. "You wouldn't have happened to have noticed anything… peculiar already? Anything that we should be aware about…?"

Quatra managed to suppress her feelings as she felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty wash over her.

The part of her that was a Jedi tempted her to speak the truth, to tell the other Council members of what had happened with young Mical in the Public Archives, and what Quatra had felt emanating from the raven-haired Guardian soon after. The thought of that sensation…that hollow presence… caused a very cold chill to travel up the woman's spine.

But if she were to speak, Kai would certainly be sent back to Coruscant, where he would most likely be subjugated to even more extreme measures of isolation until his enigmatic abilities were dealt with, or forgotten about.

The part of Quatra that was a teacher, that cared for her students and believed deeply within them, would not allow her to forsake young Lugo any more than she would any other. Never had she given up on one of her pupils. Would she do so now?

A teacher or a Jedi… for the first time, the two seemed so opposite to her.

Yet in the end, she knew her self and her loyalties.

"Well Master Quatra," Vrook reiterated, "have you noticed anything?"

"No," she answered. "Nothing at all…"

- - -

The third day on Dantooine was upon them, and already Kai was bored out of his mind. At first he had thought that guard duty on a foreign planet would have been more exciting, with all sorts of predatory beasts roaming about the fields, hunting for easy meals, but such was proving to have been a groundless fantasy. When they had first arrived at the ruins, the evident signs of a passing herd of kath hounds were seen everywhere: giant footprints, broken branches, leftover meals. Yet not once in the eight hours a day they spent out on the open field did Kai see so much as a kinrath pup.

Regardless, the young Guardian was assigned to kept vigilance over the Echani Historian as she went about the strange looking ruins, lightly touching upon them now and then and occasionally writing down a note or two in the datapad she kept in her arm.

Every now and then, Atris would look up from whatever she was studying upon and glare in the direction of where Kai laid comfortably in the grass on an overlooking hill, gazing back at her with half-closed eyes.

"You're not taking your duties seriously, Lugo," she yelled out.

"How serious do I have to be?" Kai responded as he held his arms up and out wide to point out the surrounding area. "We're in the middle of an open plain. There isn't so much as a field rat within a good ten miles or so from here. How much protection could you possibly need?"

For a moment, Atris simply glared coldly at the young Guardian, who continued to whole his hands out to emphasize his point, then the young Historian turned her head sharply away and back upon what she was looking at, making her frustration very noticeable to the green-eyed boy.

Closing his eyes and breathing out one of the many aggravated breaths Kai had made while accompanying the noble girl, the Padawan lifted his torso up and opened the pack sitting next to him.

"Hey Atris…"

"What?"

Kai pulled a durasteel container out of the pack. "Let's have lunch."

The young Echani once again looked upon the teenage boy, this time having an indifferent expression than one of frustration.

Kai was smiling warmly at her as he offered the container in her direction, even though she was a good thirty feet away. "I know you're hungry."

Atris immediately turned back away, seeming somewhat insulted that he would speak for her. "I am not."

"Liar."

Regardless of it being true, something about him saying it got her attention. "What did you say?"

"We've been out here since before sunrise," Kai pointed out, still smiling despite Atris now looking at him with anger in her eyes. "Neither of us has eaten a thing since yesterday. Unless you've got the metabolism of a bantha, I bet your stomach is giving you a few friendly kicks right about now."

For some reason that she could not understand, the young woman felt herself getting flustered as she continued to stare the Guardian, her eyes going a bit wide with disbelief.

"Come on…" Kai tempted towards her, waving the container about like a lure. "I won't tell anyone… Just give into the dark-si… I mean your hunger… These ruins aren't likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. You can finish up what you're doing later…"

Always with the sarcasm…

No one ever addressed her in such an insolent tone before.

Nor did anyone speak to her so calmly, with such a familiar feel…

She… she did not like it! And she did not like him…

Still, she was hungry, and she accepted that it was distracting her from her work, and they only had an half an hour left before they had to return to the Enclave…

She approached Kai in a purpose-driven stride, making the young Guardian wonder if perhaps she was going to walk right over him. Fortunately she chose to stop just in front of him instead, and reached out to take the container from his grasp.

Just as Atris was about to grab it, the small package was yanked beyond her reach. Confused, the young Knight looked upon Kai, who had a snide smile playing across his face, which she greeted with an angry glare.

"What are you doing?"

"Na-ah," Kai replied with a small shake of his head as he brought his arm out to his right side and indicated towards the ground with the container. "You're not getting this unless you sit down right here."

Atris looked upon him like he had just said something blasphemous. "I will not be led about like a child!"

"Then I guess you're not going to eat," the raven-haired boy responded evenly, looking away as if he did not care one way or the other. Making sure that she did not go for the other food container, Kai slid his pack behind him

Atris was getting tired of this. She thought of ordering Kai to give her the meal, but dismissed doing so immediately. She was a Jedi Knight! She would not use her higher rank over something so petty.

"I'll tell you what, Atris," Kai spoke up, submission audible in his voice. "If you just sit here with me, I promise I won't say a word. You don't have to say anything to me either. You don't have to even look at me. In return…"

Kai paused for a moment to consider his offer carefully. The first thing to pop into mind was that he would not be sarcastic towards Atris for the rest of the trip, but that would likely mean he would probably have to stop talking to her completely…

"If I concede…"

Atris' voice brought Kai's attention back upon her. There was a dark look in her eye that she managed to hide well behind a mask of indifference, but Kai could see it enough to know that she had something particular in mind. Something Kai was sure he wouldn't like.

"…then your have to agree to assist me back at the Enclave…"

Kai gave the girl a hard look. "Assist you?"

"Master Quatra has assigned me several extra tasks while we are here," Atris clarified. "I am to help train new hopefuls and Padawans in Force abilities, as well as provide a few lectures on Jedi history."

"And you need my help?"

"No," she quickly retorted, sounding almost insulted by the idea, "it would simply be more… efficient if I were to have some help with some of the younger students."

The green-eyed teenager remained silent for a moment, carefully considering the Historian's choice of words.

Younger students… children…

In truth, Kai was not sure how he felt about the idea. He had not been around many younglings since… well, then… It left him unsure of how he would respond to being around young ones again…

"Deal…"

What!?

Without a word of acknowledgement being said, Atris walked over to the Padawan's side and grabbed the food container from his grasp. Turning around to face downhill, she knelt slowly on the grass in a graceful motion. The container rested comfortably upon her lap as she opened it and started digging through its contents.

All the while, Kai remained staring forward, dumbfounded by his response.

What had just happened?

One minute he is having serious doubts as to whether he should accept Atris' returned offer, the next he found himself conceding?

"I still have to prepare my lectures," Atris commented as she continued to set up her meal. "I shall have them ready by tonight, so tomorrow, after I'm finished here, accompany me back at the Enclave. I will give you detailed instructions on what you will need to do."

What the hell has he gotten himself into!? He could only imagine the type of instructions Atris would force upon him. She already bosses him around like a machine, having her leaving him notes would only add to that horrid delight.

Letting out a sigh, Kai reached around into the pack behind him and pulled out the secondary food container. What was done was done. At least right now all he had to worry about was his appetite. And after they got back to the Enclave, he would be going to see-

Oh, that's right!

"I already have scheduled combat training with a friend right after," Kai remarked, now especially pleased that he had met young Mical. "It would be rude of me to-"

"-I thought we agreed that you would not speak," Atris interrupted as she took a small bite of her food. "Whatever scheduling conflicts you might have are not my concern, Padawan. Have them dealt with before tomorrow."

The little heartless…

Kai tightened his jaw and turned away from the Echani before he blurted out one of the many words that came to mind. He had thought that perhaps, since they had not had any problems with each other for the last day or two, they might have been able to enjoy each other's company for once, if only for the twenty minutes they sat together in silence while eating their meals.

Why was he surprised that things turned out like they always did between them: with him gritting his teeth in frustration, and her treating him like a tiresome obligation that she had to keep track of.

Tired of trying to fight it, Kai shook the matter from his mind, took a big bite of the stew mix within his ration, and stared forward blankly upon the golden terrain.

The scenery was nice at least…

Then Atris asked something that brought a dark shadow to rest over Kai's quiet moment, and possibly his day.

"Are the combat training facilities adequate?"

- - -

Swing, swing, thrust, uppercut, down-slash, parry, jab, dodge.

Thrust, swing, jab, parry, thrust, dodge, slash.

The motions flowed forth from Mical almost as if they were second nature to him. With every position he found himself in, another movement came forth to follow through.

The young boy never knew combat training could be so… artful. And where once, Mical only practiced the basic combat styles in poor form, he now found himself driven to improve.

And he was improving. It had taken him a while to learn exactly what Kai had meant by "not acting stronger than you really are," but once he did, the movements just seemed to come out of him with grace.

One of the Knights overlooking the training grounds had even remarked to him of his improvement; a compliment young Mical was unused to receiving lest it be in terms of his studies.

He also had managed to avoid throwing his sword since that day, which made him and the other students within the room exceptionally pleased.

As Mical was training close to the entrance of the room, he was able to notice everyone that came or left. And as the familiar figure of Kai appeared within the room, the young boy was quick to see him. And the white-haired girl accompanying him…

…

…Wait a minute…

"Getting any better, Mical?" the young Guardian remarked as he walked up to the kid, Atris silently following behind.

"A…a little," the small boy muttered, finding himself having trouble bearing the weight of the young woman's gaze, like her eyes were pieces of ice that sent a cold chill through his body. "Uh… who…"

"I don't believe you two have been introduced," Kai remarked, elaborately motioning back and forth with his hand between the silent pair. "Mical, this is Atris, a… colleague of mine from Coruscant, and one of my fill-in Masters for the next few days."

"Fill-in Masters…?"

"It's complicated."

"No, it isn't," Atris immediately countered, eyeing the young Guardian as if to say he was being childish. "I have been assigned a task here on Dantooine by my Master, and he has been ordered to assist me at my discretion."

She made it sound like he was more of a servant than a bodyguard. Of course she must have known how much that irritated him. For the life of him, Kai could not figure out why someone whom seemed to pride herself on being so apathetic to those around her also seemed so intent on being demeaning as well, particularly towards him.

And more unfathomable was the reason she had decided to accompany him here today.

"So, you are the one he trains with…" Atris stated, looking young Mical up and down and seeming unimpressed by what she saw. "Kai is going to be assisting me at this time from now on with more important endeavors."

That was why.

Of course she did not trust him, with his 'childish ways', to be responsible enough to tell his own friend that he had to change their training sessions.

She probably even thought she was doing him a favor…

It was another one of those countless moments where Kai had to hold his tongue back, no matter how much it wanted to scream out at the girl.

"Okay… that's fine," Mical idly responded, confused as to why this young Knight was telling him this, or why she had said it in such an irrespective way, as if to say Kai was wasting his time with him.

"How about three hours past the time we usually meet," Kai jumped in, taking the matter away from Atris.

"I have no problem with it," Mical responded, finding his voice came a lot easier when speaking to the older Padawan.

"Nor do I, unless…" the Guardian looked over to the young historian.

"Let us hope for the sake of the students you will be tending to that it does not take you so long to teach basic techniques." The Echani Knight turned from her counterparts and walked towards a vacated section of the room, where she proceeded to pull out and activate her lightsaber, one with an uncommon and strangely alluring cyan beam. Without pause, she fell into one of the many battle stances and proceeded to traverse the motions, practicing several forms of attacks, parries, and defenses that she had trained in her whole life. No single motion stood out from the rest as the momentum of her energy was never out of her control.

"She's rather rude…" Mical remarked, watching the young woman as she went about her training. As he looked upon her though, the youngling could not help but be impressed by the fluidity of her movements and the sheer control of her body. It was as if she were dancing. "Though…she's not bad with a lightsaber…"

The youngling then turned back to look upon his friend, who remained gazing upon Atris with calm eyes that seemed to be staring off far beyond her, as if he were lost in thought.

Confused was a more accurate word for what Kai was at the moment. He was confused by what Atris had done within the last hour or so. Looking past all the verbal slander she had given, the young Guardian thought upon her actions.

Back at the ruins, she did not have to accept his ultimatum of sitting next to him in order to eat her meal. She could just as easily have ordered him to give it to her.

And then there was what she had asked for in return. Why would she desire his assistance? She did not even want him accompanying her to Dantooine. Why would she want anything further from him?

It was possible that her reasons were as simple as she had told him, that she simply desired some assistance in her responsibilities, in which case Kai's skepticism was fruitless.

But then again the way she had acquired his help, by forcing it in return for offering a friendly gesture, was causing young Lugo to question the matter.

She could have simply asked for his support. Demanded it even…

Yet for her to offer it as a trade-off was almost… playful…

A suggestive smile crossed Mical's lips as he glared with teasing eyes at the Guardian, as though he had just uncovered a big secret. "She is kinda pretty too, don't you think…?"

Lugo's eyes immediately jumped from Atris to the little boy, not sure he had heard the kid correctly.

"Must be a real hassle for you…" Mical remarked, acting passive in his manner, "having to be close to her all the time. I doubt the Masters would condone a lot of the thoughts you probably have about her…"

Kai simply stared blankly at the young boy for a moment, unsure how he should respond.

First of all, the kid did not know what he was talking about. Yes, the Masters probably would not condone many of Kai's thoughts towards Atris, but such thoughts were definitely not the kind Mical was suggesting them to be.

Secondly, where was Mical's sudden confidence coming from? When Lugo had first met him, the kid could barely get out a straight sentence, let alone say anything so daring in nature.

And thirdly… who the hell did this kid think he was?!

"I'm sorry Mical, I seem to be having a problem hearing you," Kai responded as he scratched inside his ear. "For a moment, I thought I heard you saying something that would require me to whack you over the back of your head."

The young Padawan doubted there to be any sincerity behind the threat, but took the hint for what it was worth.

"No, I didn't say anything."

"Right… let's get-" As Kai started to walk over to the nearby wall to grab one of the training blades, he noticed the other students training in the room for the first time, or rather the lack of.

Instead he found that most of the Padawans, and apparently the only Knight presently assigned to monitor the students at this time, had congregated about a massive, stone platform in the far back of the training grounds, upon which two individuals stood facing each other, vibroblades gripped tightly within their hands.

"What's going on over there?"

"Huh?" Mical followed the older Padawan's gaze to its destination. "Oh that. It's just a training exercise."

"Training exercise?" Kai echoed as he watched the pair of students suddenly advance upon each other, the sound of their clashing weapons echoing throughout the entire room. "It looks like dueling to me."

"It is, in a sense. It's meant to help teach Padawans about the less obvious travails of combat: reading your opponents movements, responding to their assaults and defense while maintaining balance, being in a high-stress situation, that sort of stuff. The other Padawans are allowed to observe in order learn by studying the actions of those who partake of the training."

"I see," Kai responded, becoming very interested in what he was observing. It was not everyday that Padawans received the chance to partake of any form of actual combat. "Let's go watch."

"W-what? Why?" Mical immediately seemed to tighten up after hearing the suggestion. "I thought we were going to train like we have been."

"We can do that later," Kai responded as he took a few steps in the direction of the gathers Padawans. "I'm curious to see what kind of techniques the students here are trained in, and how effective they are in actual combat.

Mical did not look convinced. He did not like being around so many people at once, finding the loud noise and close presence of so many made him anxious.

Though he hid it well, Kai shared a bit within that same uneasiness he could see within Mical. He was still… uncomfortable with being in the presence of so many individuals. Still, right now his intrigued easily outweighed any fear he might have.

"Come on, Mical," Lugo called out to the young boy. "We'll just watch a few quick matches, okay?"

Breathing out a heavy sigh, Mical finally nodded his head in consent, though his expression made it clear that he was still not pleased with the idea.

Slowly the pair made their way over to the crowd, watching the dueling Padawans as they drew closer. No sooner than when Kai and Mical found themselves standing at the edge of the crowded spectators did the match that had been occurring appear to be over, with one of the Padawans, presumably the one who lost, slowly walking down the stairways located on the side of the platform, leaving the victor to stand alone.

As this singular Padawan turned about on the platform, the curious pair recognized him almost immediately.

A cold chill of fear traveled through little Mical's small body, causing him to step in closer to Kai and grab at the cloth of his robe. Understanding the young boy's anxiety at seeing this individual again, Kai placed a comforting hand on Mical's shoulder, and watched in silence.

"Well done, Bandon," called out an older individual among the crowd, who stood not far off from where Kai and Mical were, apparently one of the watchful Knights that overlooked the place.

The aforementioned youth, showing neither exhilaration nor exhaustion from his previous match, bowed politely towards the Knight, with a rather arrogant smirk playing across his face. "Thank you, Knight Nemo."

Nemo, a blue-robed Knight of mid-age, lightly nodded his acceptance, and then turned his gaze upon the crowd of Padawans. "Will the next student who would like to test their combat expertise, please step up to the platform."

The room fell oddly quiet for one being filled with so many young ones, and Kai could understand why none were anxious to meet the challenge. There was something… aggressive in this particular Padawan who stood above them more like a conqueror than a champion.

As Bandon's eyes scanned across the crowd, seeming to be scouting for any sign of a challenge towards him, they spotted something that caused them to pause abruptly.

At that moment, Kai regretted his desire to watch.

- - -

The young Echani paid little heed to the presence of the others within the training chambers, desiring to put her attention to better use by focusing completely as she practiced her lightsaber techniques.

Atris had only partly noticed it when Kai and the young boy accompanying him had walked over to the crowd of Padawans that had been engaged in observing a training duel, something she had no interest in observing herself.

Yet even as she practiced her forms, the clairvoyant Knight could feel the sudden change in atmosphere within the room, emanating from the crowd of Padawans, and more so from Kai.

Regardless, she continued onward with her training.

- - -

"Well, well…" Bandon muttered in a loud voice as he continued to stare upon the young Guardian, smiling slightly. "If it isn't the mysterious stranger from the other day…"

Like a tach standing in the middle of a herd of carnivores, Kai suddenly found himself uncomfortably the center of attention as a couple dozen sets of eyes gazed upon him. Attempting to avoid letting the strong sense of anxiety he now felt from overwhelming him, the young Guardian remained looking directly back at Bandon, who smiled with anticipation.

"So, offworlder," Bandon spoke loudly, making sure all present could hear him. "I see you're still babysitting that little, butter-fingered runt."

Mical was too afraid to look up, too afraid to see all those faces that he knew were now staring at him. In his mind, he cursed himself for ever choosing to stepping foot into the training grounds.

But Bandon had no real interest in the young boy. The child already cowered in fear of him, and that was all the older Padawan needed from the pup.

No, what Bandon really wanted was the one that had the gull to stare straight back at him, unblinking and unintimidated by his persona.

How much it angered him…

"Control you emotions, young Bandon," Nemo counseled, sensing the Padawan's rage was building in pressure.

Bandon closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the storm within; convincing him self that what he desired was not vengeance, but vindication for the wrongs that had been done to him, as he had when the younger one had striked him.

Opening up his eyes again, Bandon smiled cruelly, to which Kai only responded with the same hard look he was still giving.

"Come, stranger," Bandon declared in a loud voice, "let us see if you are able to defeat me without cowering behind my back!"

His words left a tenseness hanging in the air, causing the murmuring spectators to glance upon Kai, waiting for his response with anticipation.

Mical too looked up upon the older Padawan, fear and uncertainty causing a painful tightness in his chest as he felt that they had fallen into a trap from which they could not escape unscathed.

Yet the young Guardian simply stared blankly back at Bandon, his expression offering no form of anger, no sign of fear, and no hint of what his response would be.

Even Nemo found him self curious as he looked upon the youth, finding that even with the Force, he could not read the emotions of the raven-haired boy, who hid his feelings behind a wall more firm and stable than the Knight had ever seen in one so young.

"…Not interested…"

The words passed through Kai's lips with relative calmness, as if to show that all the intimidation of Bandon's dark stare and strong words had had no affect upon him whatsoever.

And sadly, this left many of the present students in a state of disappointment, vocalized with whiny moans, at having been denied the chance to see what could have been a very interesting… training exercise….

Bandon was the most visibly shocked of all, his eyes going wide with disbelief as the foreign Padawan turned and started to walk away with the tiny runt following closely. Yet more than shocked was he angry; angry at having been denied the chance to show everyone how superior he was to this… trespasser who had dared to cross his path! Angry at being dismissed so casually, as if he was nothing to be respected… nothing to be feared!

The prideful teenager clamped his jaw shut as he fought to stem the anger flowing out from him. The last thing he wanted was another lecture by a Knight on the ways of the Jedi and the Code and the travails of letting his hatred get the better of him.

No, he would not give into his anger… but he would have his pride back!

Looking back up upon the offworlder and his young companion, Bandon yelled out in a sarcastic tone. "So… this is the way of Padawans trained on other planets… You attack from behind and turn and flee when having to truly test your mettle!"

The crowd of students continued to watch the raven-haired individual as he proceeded to walk away. Perhaps there was still a chance…

Yet the enigmatic Padawan continued onward.

"Are all Padawans from offworld such cowards that they are too afraid to face an opponent face-to-face, or are you just someone who only finds courage when stabbing another in the back!?" Bandon continued to rant.

But Kai continued to walk away with young Mical following next to him.

Like before, Nemo was not ignorant of the possible implications of the situation, but again he felt it best to observe the matter and see if the Padawans had the knowledge to deal with it on their own. And by the way the foreign Padawan continued to walk away, he believed so. Still, he knew he should probably detain Bandon before the hot-tempered youth truly loss controlled.

And though he was still angered, Bandon began to give up his attempt to provoke the stranger and settled for insults. "Fine! Get out of here, coward!"

Kai continued to calmly depart, not seeming to even hear the other boy's remarks.

"The Jedi do not need butter-fingered wimps like your little fan!"

Kai continued walking.

"Or trash like you!"

…Kai stopped walking …

- - -

A gust of wind fell over the golden hills of Dantooine, causing graceful ripples in the grass and bringing a nice, cooling breeze to the group of Padawans sitting cross-legged on the ground under the bright sun, deep in meditation.

It was one of the times of day Master Quatra found she enjoyed the most as she walked quietly among the lot, watching the students with the keen eyes of a teacher.

These were her more advanced pupils, ones that were already capable of such forms of meditating where the Force overtook all their senses and placed them in a state of utter calmness.

Out here with them, miles away from the Enclaves walls, the stress of her daily life did not seem so taxing. No watchful eye hung over her here, judging her actions and intent. No sense of the duty or obligation bore down on her. No greater power than the Force itself grasped at her.

Here there was true serenity…

Like an ocean wave, pain and anguish fell upon the lot, causing all of the students to gasp and scream in fright as it filled their unfortified senses before they were able to pull themselves away from the Force.

Though Quatra's mind what not submersed at the time, the Jedi Master felt the anguished ripple just as potently, though her well-trained mind spared her from being overwhelmed by it.

Yet even more than just simply feeling it, the young Master knew where it stemmed from, as she had felt it once before.

"Oh no…"

- - -

"What… is it?" Vrook muttered in bewilderment as he stood within the Enclave courtyard, his eyes closed tightly as he barred the overpowering sensation from his mind.

"It… screams of pain…" Master Zhar responded, his face twisted in confusion and uncertainty, "yet… where it is coming from, I cannot see…"

"I know where…" muttered Vandar as he sat quietly on his hovering pedestal, a seemingly sorrow-filled look upon his face.

"I've felt it once before…"

- - -

"Master Quatra…" called out one of the younger Padawans in the group, a little, brown haired girl of no more than ten years, who had managed to stand up and stumble over to their teacher, the rest of the group busy tending to themselves and each other.

Quatra silently tended to one of the other students who apparently had been hit far worse than the rest and was now lying unconscious on the ground.

"Master Quatra…"

"Are you alright, Bastila?" Quatra responded without turning to face the child, instead resting her hand upon the forehead of the wounded Padawan and making sure that his condition was not serious.

"Yes, I'm fine but… what happened," the young girl asked, at a loss for reason. "It felt like… a wave of pain had screamed outwards from the Force, and filled my senses."

"I know, I felt it too, young one," the Master calmly responded.

Sure now that the Padawan was not in danger, Quatra stood up and turned towards the others in the group, most of which remained sitting while they rubbed at their eyes and temples, refocusing their senses after having been violently assaulted.

"Everyone, listen," Quatra firmly called out among the small crowd. "Please tend to each other and make your way back to the Enclave. I have to hurry ahead. And do not resume your meditations under any circumstance until I give you permission."

"But… Master Quatra," one of the older students spoke up, "whatever that presence was… I do not sense it anymore. Perhaps it was only a temporary occurrence."

"No… it is still there," Quatra retorted as she felt the tormented wave of pain lingering within the air.

Strange… as the young Master looked about the Padawans, she realized that none of them seemed to be able to feel the echo any more. Perhaps the only reason that they had felt it in the first place was because of their meditations within the Force.

If so, perhaps all was not lost for Lugo…

But this time, the other Masters, many of whom Quatra knew had a stronger affiliation with the Force than she did, will have felt it as well. And they would learn of its source…

"Students, do not speak of what you felt today with anyone," the young Master conveyed to the crowd, who responded to the order with uncertain stares. "I and the other Master will look into this matter. But we will require your discretion. Do not mention this to anyone."

With that last reinforcement of her command, Master Quatra head off in the direction of the Enclave, leaving the students dumbfounded as they prepped themselves for the long trip back.

- - -

Once again, the eyes of several students were upon Kai as he stood with his back towards the dueling ring. But not all looked upon him with anticipation of his response towards Bandon's jabs at him.

Atris had hoped to avoid interacting with anyone while she impatiently went about her physical training. But this time, she could not turn away as she felt the painful cries once again rippling out from her counterpart. The sound was stronger now, as if several new voices had congregated with the original. Or perhaps she had not been able to hear them last time…

Yet as the Echani Knight looked about the room, she realized something else. The students, the over-watching Knight, even the young boy who stood beside Lugo: none of them seemed to notice it. While the echo rung clearly within the Historian's mind, all others within the room stood about as if deaf to it.

As for Kai himself, Atris was at a loss for whether he was aware of it… whatever it was… The raven-haired Padawan hung his head with his deep-green eyes looking downward, as if a great burden had befallen him, or a great pain.

And indeed, a great torment had befallen the young Guardian, catalyzed by taunts that had not been meant to produce such a result.

Bandon's words had stirred a memory long-forgotten within its grave.

"Kai… are you alright? Come on… let's just go…" Mical called out to his friend. But Lugo's mind was too far gone to hear anything said to him. For only one word echoed through his ears now, the one that Bandon had used to insult him, which in the end brought about more pain than the arrogant teenager could have known.

Trash…

Trash…

- - -

"Trash!"

The old man yelled in a blind rage as he drove the tip of his boot hard into the chest of the young boy that lied cradled upon the ground in front of him, the impact knocking the wind out of the child's lungs, preventing him from screaming in pain as he felt a rib fracture.

A crowd of people stood about the scene, watching the old man as he lashed out at the youth, cheering and laughing, enjoying the sight and yelling for the man to kick him harder. None among them knew exactly why the old guy was beating on a child, and none of them really cared…

"Worthless! Thieving! Trash!" The elderly human thrusted his foot into the little boy with each proclamation.

"I'm… sorry…," the raven-haired child spoke out in a weak whisper of a voice as he lifted his head up a little from the ground, too disoriented from hunger, lack of breath, and the enormous amount of pain coursing through his body to be sure he had said anything at all. "They… need food… they-"

"Shut up!"

A bony fist knocked against the side of the boy's head, slamming it into the hard, concrete ground and nearly knocking him unconscious.

The crowd jumped and gasped a bit at the sudden ferocity of the old man's strike, but enjoyed it none the less.

The warm feel of blood now covered the left half of the boy's face as the jagged pieces of stone lying upon the ground cut into him, the right side beginning to become numb and swell up from the impact.

As he laid there, unsure that he would ever get up, painfully familiar sounds filled the youngling's ears.

Not the laughter and cheers of a sadistic crowd or the prideful taunts and yells of a bitter, old man, but the sounds of children…

He could hear their cries of fear as they sat alone in the dark, grasping at each other to fight back the coldness. He could hear their hungry moans as they went days without food. He could hear their pleas for him to save them as their malnutritioned bodies gave into illness, to death.

Though the young boy did not understand, the pain of those cries began to overpower the suffering coursing through his own body.

Reaching down, the elderly human lifted the boy up by his ragged tunic to face him, finding the child was apparently unable to even open his eyes.

"You're going to the slavers, boy!" The old man yelled in the child's face with a gleeful sound within his tone. "You're going to learn what it means to truly work for a living!"

Satisfied laughter bursted out from the old man as he had the beaten and broken child at his mercy.

The young boy's eyes jumped open.

The old man stopped laughing.

These eyes, full of pain and suffering and power, left the aged adult stricken with terror, unable to respond as the boy quickly drew a bothan stunner from underneath his cloak and jabbed it hard into the old man's chest.

Blinding pain coursed through his body, causing each and every muscle to spasm beyond his control as the powerful electric current burned through his flesh, reaching into his chest and attacking his heart. Within mere moments, the man blacked out and collapsed backwards on the ground, his arms and legs randomly convulsing.

The green-eyed boy, having very little energy left within him, managed to barely stand slouched over, his breathing little more than slow huffs as it now hurt when he tried to inhale fast. With but one slightly opened eye, his right now completely closed and swollen, the child looked down upon the old man. Yet even without having to look, the young one knew the elder to be dead.

The ever-watching crowd of onlookers had stepped back a bit from the scene, every one of them shocked to now find the young boy standing over the body of the old human. Yet even with the presence of so many watching eyes, the youth continued to stare down at the body that lay before him.

Despite the scrapes and swelling that now marked his face, the child's monotone expression was clear for all that observed; a subtle response to the sense of emptiness he was feeling yet did not understand.

Anger, rage, a sense of satisfaction for having killed this heartless monster that nearly forced the life of a slave upon him: the raven-haired boy could feel none of these. He wanted to feel such things; he felt he had a right to. Yet, as he stood over the elder man, his expression locked with a state of shock, the green-eyed child found that he could not hate him, no matter how much he wanted to. Why…?

…

…

It did not matter…

Accepting this, the boy turned about and started limping away.

The crowd of onlookers remained silent for only a moment longer as they watched the kid limp into a nearby alley. It was not everyday one sees a child kill an adult…

As easy as it would have been to have stopped the boy in his current condition, the bothan stunner still within his grasp kept the predators at bay.

And as the youth finally went beyond their sight, the crowd took a second before realizing the scope of what actually laid before them: an un-looted corpse.

As the child made his way into the dark corridor, he could make out the ruckus of the commotion he had left behind him. Like sewer rats, they tore into the remains of another's kill, ripping into the man and each other for what meager possessions the carcass had upon it.

Vermin… all of them! For the rags and belongings of a poor, wretched human, they would fight amongst each other, ripping and clawing like underfed beasts.

Was he truly just like them, the child wondered? Worthless trash…

The boy's mind flickered in and out of consciousness as he dragged himself along the alley wall, only managing to stay awake by sheer force of will and the thought of those who were waiting for him.

He needed to get back! There was no time for rest now; he had been apart from the others for too long!

In his current condition, he knew he could not risk another attempt for the sake of a few credits. He needed to return to the warehouse. Once there, a good hour of sleep would be enough… that's all he needed…

Move, damnit! The boy screamed at his body to obey, fighting against the numbness as pain and exhaustion worked against him. He had to get back now!

He managed to take a step forward. Then another. Then another. Then his legs gave out and he collapsed right there on the cold ground, his dirty clothes causing him to blend in with the pile of debris he fell upon.

Get up! With every inch of what he was, the boy yelled at himself, pleaded for his arms and legs to listen to him.

They need me! Please!

It was no use. His body was no longer listening to his cries. Soon even his one good eye came to no longer hear him as it slowly shut. It was too much. All of it was just too much…

As the child lied there, unmoving, his breath slowly becoming weaker and weaker, he suddenly realized the truth: he was dying.

He felt the touch of death, that cold empty sensation that he had managed to escape from by struggling day after day, month after month, finally falling upon him. There was nothing more he could do to stop it.

So many years of fighting it back by sleeping in the cold, eating thrown-away scraps, and stealing petty credits, and now it had finally caught him.

As his mind slowly sank into the dark, the child made one final effort to think a coherent thought, begging them, all of them: the cold, the hungry, the sick, and the dead, to forgive him.

He had finally, truly failed them.

And like the old man had said, among trash was where his body belonged…

- - -

"Kai… please, let's just go," Mical pleaded to his older friend. Yet his words did not reach their intended as the green-eyed Padawan did not move to respond to them. Rather, young Lugo continued to stand there as he had been for over a minute, seemingly staring downwards, his gaze unfocused.

Something was wrong, Mical could see it in his companion's eyes, but did not know what it was that he was seeing.

Bandon did not question the enigmatic teenager's actions, rather choosing to believe that his attempted taunts had had the desired affect of reaching the seemingly defiant invader.

And just as he had hoped, Kai slowly turned back around to face him, a dark look now covering his expression. Yet none but Mical were close enough to see that what lied within Lugo's eyes was not anger, but a strange form of determination; a sense of strength, hollow in form, unlike anything the child had know… And it unnerved the youngling to where he lost the will to call out to his friend.

The offworld Padawan's sudden change in direction caught the attention of most of the other students within the room as well. Perhaps they would finally get the match they had been hoping for.

Bandon gave one final push to finish the deal. "So, what's it going to be, offworlder? Do you have some durasteel in that spine of yours or not!"

Apparently such words were unnecessary, as the raven-haired teenager was already walking back within Bandon's direction.

"I accept your challenge…"

Those words rung out within the training grounds and all were surprised to hear them, including Kai because he was not the one who had spoken.

All faces turned to the figure that now walked onto the arena square, and most shocked among the onlookers was Bandon himself. "You!"

The brown-haired Padawan smiled softly back at the suddenly enraged teenager, seeming almost pleased by his response. "Yes, me…"

Kai and Mical immediately recognized the individual as being that student who had helped them the last time they encounter Bandon. Once again he appeared out of the crowd to stand as a standard among them. But what was he doing here? And why again was he interfering?

Bandon spat out at the enigmatic individual, seeming rather anxious by this person's presence, though attempting to hide it behind dark eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you to not mingle in my affairs?"

The unnamed youth seemed more or less enjoying his counterpart's irritation. "It was by your words that this has become my affair, Bandon."

"What are you talking about?"

"I believe what you said was 'All Padawans from offworld are such cowards that they are too afraid to face an opponent face-to-face.' As you well know, Bandon, I have only recently come to train on Dantooine, so I can only assume your statement was addressed to me as well."

He was mocking him, everyone could see it, and everyone also knew that Bandon was not one who liked to be mocked. "I don't care if you're supposed to be some sort of Protégé, or that your currently Master Zhar's pupil! You have no right to get involved in this!"

Master Zhar's pupil…? Kai found that hard to believe as he looked over upon the Padawan. His recollection of his meeting with the Masters, as well as seeing Master Zhar around the Enclave during study sessions, recalled the twilek Master to be of a quiet nature; one that preferred to observe and listen and take his time before committing to action. For this rather outspoken youth to be his Apprentice was… well… incompatible was the best word Lugo could think of, though 'conflictive' might have been better.

As Kai took a second to look around, he realized that the crowd of students had quickly reformed around the arena. They seemed more interested now than when the situation had been between Bandon and him. Apparently Kai's earlier assessment of this particular Padawan being more than he seemed had been accurate, supported by the fact that he, like Atris, was considered a "Protégé".

"Get involve…?" The unnamed Padawan echoed as if confused by what it meant. "This is merely a training exercise, Bandon… I have as much right to partake of it as any other Padawan here."

"He speaks truly, Padawan Bandon," Nemo finally spoke up, who had been watching the situation with careful evaluation, making sure that the strong emotions being thrown about, by Bandon in particular, did not become too excessive and dangerous. "This exercise is for training alone. It is not meant as a means by which you or anyone is to seek any form of retribution. And there is no rule limiting who may participate."

A low growl escaped between Bandon's gritted teeth. "Fine…"

Walking over to the opposite corner of the arena from his unexpected opponent, Bandon eyed his new training companion with a dark grimace, yet accompanied with a mischievous grin that hinted that the teenager's taboo thoughts. Everyone could see he hoped to get more out of this than simply training and experience.

Yet more than on Bandon, Kai was paying attention to the other Padawan standing on the raised stone arena. As the unnamed individual knelt down to pick up the vibroblade left by the student before him, young Lugo gauged his movements with a keen eye. There was much one could learn about others by watching even their most subtle and nondescript of movements. That was a lesson Master Kavar had iterated to the Guardian hopeful countless times, most often after the man had made short work of Lugo during their combat training clashes.

There was no tremble or uncertainty within the unnamed Padawan's hand as it reached down to grab the blade or within his body as he stood back up from where he knelt. This was an individual who was sure of his actions, and, by the way the sword rested so familiarly within his grip, experienced with the use of a weapon. His eyes did not move about eagerly, seeming as much at ease as the rest of him, his eyelids drooping ever slightly. He was not anxious, or apparently even concerned about the opponent he was about to face.

Perhaps he felt that he had nothing to fear about when it came to competing against someone like Bandon, but Kai could not help but feel that this person was doing this for a reason that he was keeping to himself, and that facing Bandon now was only a means to an end.

Himself perhaps, Kai wondered. Could this Padawan have a particular interest in Kai himself? Young Lugo shook the idea from his thoughts as he could not think of any reason for it to be true. Yes, perhaps he had acted a little… rashly when he stepped in to defend Mical from Bandon, but that would not have provoked this unnamed Padawan to have an interest in him.

Perhaps he was just another Padawan that liked to flaunt his capabilities, which will be pretty evident of being true during this training exercise, assuming that Kai's evaluation of his level of skill was accurate…

"Alright Padawans, step forward," Nemo called out from the side of the arena.

From their respective corners, the pair of trainees walked forward towards each other, to where they were about six feet apart, gazing directly at each other, both smiling, one amusingly calm, the other eagerly aggressive.

"The rules are the same as always," the Knight continued, "you will attempt to make three successful assaults on your opponent, either by weapon or unarmed attacks. I will be the judge of your attempts, so do not stop unless I confirm a successful attack. Once I have, you are to take three steps away from each other, wait three seconds, and begin again. No Force powers of any kind. Falling out of the arena will automatically end the exercise. You are forbidden to make attacks aimed at the head. Any attempt, even accidental, will end the exercise with possible disciplinary action following. If any injury occurs, the exercise will also immediately end, and if it is believed that such injury was intentional, the responsible will possibly also be subject to disciplinary action."

"Understood," replied the unnamed Padawan.

"Acceptable…" replied Bandon.

"Very well, return to your corners, face each other, and begin on my mark."

Complying, the two Padawans turned about and walked away from the center of the arena, turning back around once they reached their destinations, and setting their weapons at the ready.

The crowd of students, which included all within the room, save Atris who continued her training unbothered by the events that captivated everyone else, watched on silently, waiting for Nemo's voice to signal the commencement.

In that moment when the pair of Padawans stood facing each other, Kai silently made note of something interesting about Bandon's competitor, or rather the way the unnamed student was holding his weapon: comfortably at his side with but his right hand holding it. A strange way for a Padawan to wield a single melee weapon, or even a lightsaber…

"Interesting…" Kai muttered, smiling slightly as he had convinced himself that this Padawan was indeed the Protégé that Bandon had claimed him to be.

"What is?" Mical called up to his friend, having been standing silently by his side the whole time. All of the young child's earlier anxiety apparently had disappeared once all the attention had fallen away from Kai and him.

"Nothing," Kai responded with a small smile and a shake of his head.

Confused by the older student's response, the young hopeful turned back towards the arena, having found himself as much intrigued by this event as the rest of the students present. "With as riled up Bandon has been due to this individual, I imagine him to be as good a fighter as Bandon himself is. This should be an intense match…"

"I don't think so…" Kai responded, bringing the child's eyes back upon him to which he simply smiled at. "If my guess about Bandon's opponent is correct, this will not take long at all…"

Mical seemed almost dumbfounded by Kai's words, unable to guess how he could make such a conclusion before the match even started. Still, Mical turned back to watch, quite sure that this exercise would be long and drawn out to the last breaths off strength.

Allowing a second more to pass to build up the anticipation, Nemo finally breathed in deep.

"Begin!"

- - -

As the exercise began, all eyes were upon the participants, spare Atris who continued to tend to her own concerns.

And also one Padawan among the crowd…

A young student in his early teens with short bronze hair, no taller or stronger looking than any other student, stood silently and coldly amongst his peers.

And while all others were focused on those that stood upon the arena, this one student was focused completely on Kai, as he had been nearly since the offworlder's arrival at the Enclave.

He watched the green-eyed Padawan intently, attempting to perceive his every action, listen in on every word he said, and, most importantly, see how he interacted with the other students, and how they interacted with the young Guardian.

He watched the raven-haired student ever carefully, ever silently.

As he has been instructed to do…


	5. Chapter 5

**Way of the Guardian: Chapter 5**

"Begin!"

No sooner had the word escaped Nemo's mouth than Bandon immediately dashed forward, closing the gap between him and his opponent within a mere second.

Yet in spite of this aggressive assault towards him, the unnamed Padawan made no immediate response. He waited silently at his corner of the arena as the overzealous student came charging at him, neither moving to defend or avoid.

Bandon was quick to believe that he had gotten the jump on his counterpart, and would not waste the opportunity.

The enigmatic Padawan knew better…

And so did Kai…

With uncontrolled aggression, Bandon's blade slashed down upon his counterpart with all the force his arms could muster, determined to show his superiority, and perhaps break a few bones in the process.

In that moment just before the vibroblade landed, every watching Padawan was certain that the first match would go to Bandon.

However, only two among them knew exactly why.

The two combatants stood silently together for a moment. And indeed, Bandon's blade had reached its target.

"Contact," Nemo immediately called out.

Mical looked back up to his older friend, feeling vindicated in his assumption of how this fight would transpire. "See? Bandon is stronger than you believe."

"I have no doubt that he is strong, Mical," Kai quickly responded, a monotone expression upon his face as he stood with his arms crossed, "but, remember what I said about the difference between strong attacks and controlled attacks?"

The youngling gave Lugo a slanted look then, not sure what he was hinting at.

The young Guardian indicated back towards the platform with a small nod. "Look closer…"

Turning back towards the combatants, Mical stared upon the pair with a furrowed brow, trying to deduce Kai's meaning.

For several moments, the young Padawan gazed at the scene. …Nothing… seemed unique about what happened. So what was Kai talking…?

…

It was then that the young boy was finally able to see it, as several other Padawans came to see it.

As Bandon finally came to see it as he stood there with his opponent, who remained unstirred as the sword touched ever slightly against his left shoulder.

Nearly no one else had noticed at first, not even Bandon, but against the attack that would have caused a welt upon his arm, and even likely would have broken it, the unnamed Padawan had countered, holding his sword single-handedly against Bandon's, and having deterred nearly all the momentum of the attack, only to let it barely nudge him in the arm without so much as causing him to flinch.

Bandon's attack had made contact, as Nemo had stated, but it was only because his opponent had allowed it…

They both knew it…

Angered flared within Bandon's eyes, to which his opponent responded with a mocking smile. "First round is yours, Bandon…"

With an elaborate gesture, the unnamed Padawan pushed the vibroblade away from his arm as if he was brushing away a bug that had landed upon his robe.

Burning with aggression, the quick-tempered Bandon prepared to bring his blade back around for another strike.

"Step away from him, Bandon," Nemo called out, gaining the Padawan's attention in time to stop him from retaliating.

Bringing his blade to rest at his side, Bandon took a moment to stare down his opponent, as though he were contemplating his next attack, or simply thinking of ways to hurt him. Either way, he was determined to get his way next time…

Complying with the rules, Bandon stepped away from his counterpart and immediately brought his weapon at the ready again, while the other competitor simply stood as he had before, with his blade resting comfortably within his right hand.

"I don't understand," Mical whispered quietly to Kai, still confused by what he had seen. "If he could have stopped or avoided the attack, why didn't he?"

Kai remained staring forward, seeming more drawn into the combat exercise than most of the other Padawans. It appeared at though he had been correct in his assessments of the unnamed Padawan. What little the combatant had done so far was enough to reveal his deep level of understanding and ability in combat. And that he was cocky too…

"Begin," Nemo called out after counting off the seconds.

This time, however, Bandon was not so reckless. Rather than once again dashing forward in the hopes of catching his opponent off guard, the Padawan stood his ground and stared upon his counterpart, showing an ability to control his aggressive impulses to some degree at least, if only to prevent him from charging blindly.

"What's the matter, Bandon?" the unnamed Padawan call out mockingly, "Your last attack seemed to work to your favor…. Why the change in strategy?"

"Shut it…" Bandon replied, the waver in his voice hinting at him being on the edge of losing what little control he had.

Slowly, the enraged Padawan moved to engage his opponent, beginning his approach by moving to encircle his combatant to the right. Rather than again remaining stationary, the unnamed student began to move in the same circular motion, meeting Bandon's movements step for step, yet with more control and calmness visible in his movements.

The scene was a familiar one to Kai: two combatants moving in a circle. Almost every time he had faced off against Master Kavar he had found himself falling into the same motion, as though by instinct. The dance of predators, as Kavar often referred to it as, where each was looking to make the other there prey without becoming one in the process.

And while Bandon may still have thought himself the predator, even he now realized that he may have underestimated his prey. And he was intent on not doing so again.

As Bandon came in for the strike, he moved this time with trained precision, his blade slashing at an angle. And this time, his opponent met his attack with one of his own, sending the deep ring of metal on metal echoing outward.

Bandon did not hesitate to follow up his first attack with several more consecutive ones, each time his weapon being met with his opponent's own.

Mical continued to stare onward, still believing, despite what had happened in the first round, that this was a competition between equal opponents. His older friend knew better.

Kai still saw that Bandon's opponent was not taking the matter seriously, his stance loose in form with still only his right hand upon the hilt of his weapon, which he used sparingly. But then again, from the way Bandon was attacking, Lugo admitted he probably would handle himself the same way were it him on the platform instead.

Bandon's attacks, as constant and power-driven as they were, were also predictable, as was his apparent strategy of trying to force his opponent into a corner. While his attacks were meant to keep his opponent on the defensive, he constantly moved to the left and right, blocking off any means of retreat.

At least, that was what he was attempting to do…

Even from a distance, the holes in Bandon's attacks and maneuvers were clear to Kai. And yet for some reason the unnamed Padawan made no move to take advantage of this, as though he had no intention of escaping the ploy.

It did not take long for Bandon to finally place his opponent at the corner of the ring, leaving no means of retreat. The unnamed youth quickly looked behind him as if just noticing that he had been backed onto the edge of the platform.

A dark smile formed on the Bandon's lips then, convinced that this round was his. With enough force behind it to impale cloth and flesh, his blade lunged forward at his cornered prey.

Several onlookers, including the watchful knight, saw the intent behind Bandon's attack, but none had time to respond…

…

Except for his opponent…

With eyes and senses keened by rigorous training and raw talent, the unnamed Padawan knocked the oncoming weapon to his left side, not enough so to cause the blade to fly from Bandon's grasp, but just enough so that it slid smoothly into his waiting palm…

Several breaths gasped and murmured in shock of the sight as control of the situation had completely shifted within that instant. Even Bandon's eyes bulged in shock as his opponent tightly grasped the end of his weapon, stripping him of all control he had over the blade.

It took a moment even for Nemo to realize what had happened, just as surprised as every other onlooker within the chamber by the scene.

Well… almost every other…

Taking a moment to re-center himself, the elder knight reassumed his role. "Contact…"

And indeed, it was Bandon's weapon again that touched the flesh of his opponent, though no one present felt it just to credit him for his victory.

Even little Mical now saw the truth of the match, and it caused his brow to furrow in confusion. "Why is he doing this? He could have easily won both matches. Why is he messing around?"

"Because he's arrogant and cocky, for one," Kai quietly whispered back as he kept his eyes on the match, seeming not as impressed with the unnamed Padawan's performance, and it was a performance, as the other onlookers. "And also… I think he is trying to teach Bandon a lesson about control… and to show him what little he has…"

"Huh?" the youngling's confused expression turned upon his older friend, who respectfully met his gaze. "What do you mean 'a lesson about control'?"

"Remember what I said about acting stronger than you really are? About knowing the limits of your ability to control?" Kai lightly nodded in the direction of the arena. "Bandon is being taught the same lesson the hard way."

"But Bandon is strong… stronger than many of the students. I've seen him win these exercises several times."

"Perhaps so, but what little control his ego may have granted isn't help him now."

As Mical looked back upon the competitors, now having broken apart and stepped away from eachother, he could see the validity of Kai's words.

Bandon's anger and hatred now seemed to almost take shape, as the Padawan's hands grasped his weapon so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his teeth gritted and eyes burning with rage, giving him an extremely feral persona, like a beast lost in bloodlust.

Despite this though, it was still the unnamed one that acquired the young Guardian's attention. Even with Bandon's hatred and desire to cause pain focused so strongly upon him, the Padawan remained indifferent in his expression and posture, as though he had expected as much.

Admittedly Kai had no idea as to the intentions of this apparent 'Protégé'. And while he had stated otherwise, he doubted it had anything to do with Bandon. A lesson in the dangers of arrogance and ego was not something this cocky Padawan could teach. In the end, Lugo found himself wondering if these two combatants were actually alike in that sense, and that maybe it was only their levels of skill that divided them…

"Well done, Bandon…" the unnamed student called out with a smile as he tossed the end of the blade away. "One more successful attack, and the match will be yours…"

"Shut up… just shut up!" Bandon yelled out, barely seeming able to prevent himself from charging forward in a maddened rage.

"That's enough, Bandon," Nemo called out. A part of the knight knew that perhaps he should end the match right then, before the situation grew dire. But again he hesitated. After all, he was meant only to give council in such situations so long as they were under control. Despite what little control there was…

As silence fell upon the room, many of the onlookers held their breaths as they waited for the knight's initiation.

…

…

…

"Begin-"

It was as though Nemo's voice broke through the last wall of self-awareness within Bandon's mind. Blinded by anger and rage, the Padawan sprung forth like a pouncing feline. It was not the desire to catch his opponent off guard that made him react as such. He wanted to hurt this one. He needed to hurt him…

It took less than a second for Bandon to reach the other side of the platform where the unnamed Padawan stood. Many of those students watching found themselves so overwhelmed by Bandon's ferocity and madness that they would have been unable to respond had it been them standing in the arena against him.

But none of them had had the same training as Bandon's opponent.

With his sword held high, Bandon fell upon his victim, slashing his weapon downward with enough force to easily crack a human skull, and completely oblivious to the illegality and consequences of such an attack. Nemo did not even have enough time to yell out for Bandon to stop, let alone intervene.

It was an attack that was meant to kill, and for the first time since the match had started, Kai saw the Protégé become serious.

In an elaborate but controlled technique, the unnamed Padawan spun down and to the left of the oncoming attack, his arm trailing behind him as he finally brought his weapon to bear against Bandon, knocking his right foot out from under him.

Overpowered by his own momentum, Bandon fell forward, tumbling over himself as he fell off the edge of the platform, forcing the audience to scramble left and right as he landed hard on the ground.

"A pity…" the unnamed Padawan mumbled to himself a he slowly walked over the far side of the arena, hanging his head as though he had hoped for better.

The match was over…

All around, voices murmured in shock and disbelief at the realization that Bandon, who had stood so proudly among them as the victor, had been defeated with relative ease.

"I don't believe it…" Mical muttered, dumbfounded by what he had seen. Again he turned to Kai for confirmation. "He defeated Bandon… as if he were-"

Kai's eyes suddenly became wide with distress and Mical quickly followed his friend's gaze to its target.

Bandon rapidly pulled himself back up onto the platform and charged in a crazed rush at the unnamed Padawan's turned back, madness in his eyes and blade at the ready. "I won't let it end like this!"

He closed the distance between him and his opponent, driven by nothing more than hatred and the urge to kill.

And in that bare instant just before the blade met his flesh and cut with sheer force through bone and sinew, the unnamed Padawan struck back, pointing his open palm right into Bandon's chest.

Everyone within the chamber felt the power erupt from the Padawan as he sent Bandon's body flying through the air in the other direction, smashing him into the far wall and then plummeting back onto the ground.

This time, he did not get up…

- - -

"We should detain him immediately," Master Vrook stated with so much surety in his voice as though he believed there to be no other choice in the matter. "He is obviously far more dangerous than we were led to believe…"

"Detaining him now would serve no purpose, Vrook, and may only raise his suspicions, if not confuse him completely." Vandar calmly responded, overlooking the implications made on Master Quatra, and possibly him as well. "This is not something we can answer with brash decisions."

"I agree," Zhar interjected, "We do not know the nature of what… that echo was. We must learn more before we take any direct action upon the Padawan, lest we risk more than we know."

"We already know what is at risk," Vrook countered, seeming almost surprised that he had to defend himself. "When that… ripple appeared, did you not feel it? The Force… it shared in its pain…"

A deep unsettlement appeared within the elderly Jedi's eyes then. "And, for the first time in a long time… I found it… difficult to see…"

Neither Vandar nor Zhar were quick to respond, as they both knew of what he spoke of.

When that wave of pain and anguished had reached them, they had managed to avoid sharing in its suffering. However the Force, and all its connections to the world around them, had not been spared.

That which they saw became twisted and distorted, like eyes blurred by tears…

That which they felt became cold and black, as if all warmth had been stripped away…

And that which they heard became like a whisper beneath the wailing of madness…

It had been only for a moment, but that moment had left its mark…

"We are his teachers, Master Vrook, not his jailers, and certainly not his judges," Vandar finally responded, looking upon the human with absolution in his eyes. "No action is to be taken against Kai until the council has convened and decided as one…"

"Very well…" Vrook responded in a low grunt, obviously unpleased with the decision.

- - -

A heavy silence had fallen upon the crowd of students for the last ten minutes or so as the pair of medical droids loaded the unconscious Bandon onto the hovering stretcher and examined his injuries, with Nemo standing by overlooking the scene.

All the while, the unnamed Padawan sat quietly on the edge of the arena platform, watching the scene indifferently.

One of the droids eventually turned upon the Knight after finishing its examination. _"No critical injuries, Jedi Nemo. Major concussion detected, along with minor epidermal bruising and lacerations. Request transporting the patient to the medical wing for rest and further medical surveillance."_

"Very well… I shall accompany you..."

Immediately the droids disembarked from the training grounds with Bandon in toe.

And as if just noticing the crowd of students about him, Nemo turned upon the Padawans "Everyone, I have to go with Bandon to the infirmary now. Your training sessions are to continue as though I was still here. However, no lightsabers are to be used in my absence. And no training duels either."

Nemo then looked rather pointedly in the enigmatic Padawan's direction, who remained passive in his expression as though feeling no sense of guilt in the matter. After all, Bandon had attacked him...

Before Nemo left, however, he happened to notice the white-robed Echani still practicing silently within a corner of the room, and remembered hearing that she had acquired the rank of Knight, despite still being so young. And while that technically qualified her for overseeing the training exercises of the Padawans, Nemo decided it best not to confront her about it. During all that happened, never once had she turned an eye of concern, as if too enwrapped in her own practice to pay heed to the other students. Or perhaps she simply did not care...

Either way, Nemo left without approaching her, and slowly the students began to return to their exercises.

'Do you think that Bandon's alright?" Young Mical asked as he and Kai began to slowly walk about the training grounds, neither of them really being anxious to return to their own exercises and none paying them any particular notice.

"I doubt he is enjoying himself right now," Lugo replied, his gaze hanging low as he was preoccupied with other thoughts.

"I've never seen that before..." the youngling muttered mostly to himself. "I'm mean... I've seen some of the Jedi use the Force to push and pull blocks and things, and Master Vandar once lifted this big ship for us to see! But... I've never seen the Force used so..."

"-Aggressively against another person?" Kai finished for the young one, nodding ever slightly. "It is not something I have seen often either. Padawans are not trained in such techniques."

"Then..." Mical turned about to look in the unnamed Padawan's direction, who still sat on the edge of the arena, looking about the other students as if expecting something to happen, or looking for some one. "Why does he know?"

"Not sure," Kai answered with a shrug of his shoulders, refusing to turn around and look as well. "Bandon did call him a Protégé. Maybe he's been trained in such things."

Kai was certain of it, and much more...

"Listen Mical," Lugo turned and knelt down to come to eye level with the young boy. "I... think I'm just going to call it a day today..."

"What? Why?" Mical protested, "I thought we were going to practice."

"I know... I've just..." Kai paused, unsure of how he should explain himself. "I... have a lot to think about is all..."

Mical did not appreciate such an answer, puffing up his cheeks and whining loudly.

"Oh, come on..." Kai muttered as he lightly flicked the young boy between his eyes, causing Mical to grab at his forehead. "Don't look at me like that. I'll be here tomorrow, and we'll practice twice as long then. Ok?"

"Fine..." Mical mumbled as he diverted his eyes, depressed at the thought of having to practice by himself.

Knowing that was about as good as an acceptance as he was going to get out of the kid, Kai lightly ran his hand through the child's blond hair, messing it up a little, then got up to leave.

As he made his way to the exit, the young Guardian looked upon the students that he passed, noticing that many of them seemed to be taking their combat practices just a tad more seriously, as thought the whole affair had made them realize the importance of what they were doing, despite the simplicity of the exercises, or the disdainful way the matter had ended.

Inspiration comes from wherever one chooses to find it, Kai silently thought.

It reminded him of the reasons he chose the path of a Guardian: because fighting had always been what he did best.

A voice suddenly overpowered Kai's thoughts as it rang out above the commotion of the students. And immediately, he knew it was addressing him.

"You're not leaving yet."

The racket of the students quickly died down into nothing, and again all eyes in the room fell upon the voices owner, and the one for whom the voice had been directed at.

Slowly, Kai turned about to face the voice's owner, knowing that he would be staring right back at him.

"We still have one more match before the day's end," the unnamed Padawan called out, now standing near the center of the platform, and looking Kai straight in the eye despite the distance between them. In an elaborate motion, the Padawan brought his vibroblade out in front of him, aiming in straight within the young Guardian's direction.

"Come, my fellow offworlder," he spoke like a bad actor on a two-credit holovid. "Let us see the finesse of a true warrior."

- - -

Having reached halfway back to the Enclave, Quatra continued at her pace, knowing that the sooner she got back the better. She could already imagine that Kai had been detained and locked within his quarters by now, scared and confused with no clue as to why he was being treated in such a way.

The young Master knew that, despite the students having been unable to feel whatever it was that Kai had unleashed upon the Force, the other Masters would not overlook the potential danger he could pose.

And he was a danger, Quatra realized this now.

In a mere instant the Padawan had managed to incapacitate her entire class, bringing them pain and agony on a level few of them could have truly understood.

But why? Why did his will, his pain echo throughout the Force? What was it about him that birthed this… unnatural ability? And why was he unaware of it?

She had no answers. And with no answers, what could she hope to do for him? How could she convince the other Council Members not to take measures against him?

She did not know.

She started walking faster…

- - -

For a moment, Kai stood there in silence, staring back at the brazen Padawan, a visible disdain upon his expression while the unnamed student kept his snide smile. It was the exact same situation he had found himself in with Bandon less than twenty minutes ago, and just like then he wanted none of it.

"I'm not interested," the young Guardian finally responded. "Besides, the knight said no more matches."

Not that Kai particularly cared what the elderly Jedi had prohibited, though he did not wish to draw any attention from the Masters by his actions. Mostly, he simply had no desire to submit to this student's will.

"He had forbidden us from carrying out any more training duels," the unnamed Padawan clarified. "But I thinks it's safe to assume that such a competition would do neither of us justice. So what I am proposing will be an all-out combat match."

The muffled voices that filled the crowds of Padawans grew louder, many sounding shocked or even excited by the idea.

Kai was neither.

Among the menagerie of Padawans, little Mical stood about his peers, having decided to join a group as they went about practicing their stances, and now standing in silent observation with the rest.

"I'm willing to keep the rules about three-hits and falling out of the arena," the unnamed Padawan continued, "but with no restrictions on attacks, nor on the use of Force powers."

Kai had had enough of this. He still did not understand what interest this Jedi Protégé had in him, and was not about to concede to his desires, despite how much a part of him would like to wipe that cocky smirk from his face. "I'll say it again. I'm not interested."

"Despite the fact that I don't believe you," the Padawan quickly countered as if having expected Lugo's resistance. "I also don't believe you have much of a choice in the matter."

Kai arched an eyebrow.

"After all, I did take care of Bandon for you. And I doubt he will be waking up anytime soon..."

The raven-haired teenager's expression suddenly became very dark. Was he insinuating that he had fought and incapacitated Bandon for…? Had he predicted all of this? "You can't expect me to believe that you-"

"-He attacked me and I defended myself," the unnamed student quickly countered. "Had it been you fighting him, you would have had to have dealt with him in a similar manner."

"I wouldn't have pushed him as far."

"Perhaps not," the Protégé remarked as though it was irrelevant. "But right now, I'm sure that it is no longer you he holds a grudge against. If nothing else, you owe me for that."

"I never asked for your help."

"And your young friend never asked for yours…"

To that, the young Guardian found he had no response. Though he hated to admit to himself, a part of him did perhaps feel indebted to this cocky Padawan for dealing with Bandon, who Kai imagined would not have left him alone even had he willingly lost against him.

And still the question remained. "Why do you desire to fight me?"

The snide smile lessened within the unnamed Padawan's expression, now accented with a sincere gaze, and Kai now knew there was a reason. It was not out of arrogance or ego or anything superficial. There was a reason.

And perhaps in the most serious tone Kai had heard from the enigmatic student, he answered. "Because I'm interested…"

"In what?"

The Padawan's brown eyes sharpened ever slightly. "Many things…"

Again the pair of teenage boy's found themselves staring at one another, though this time Kai found himself reconsidering his opinion on the enigmatic Padawan, or rather adding to it.

Yes, he was cocky: cocky, and arrogant, and manipulative. But he was also inquisitive, and tempered, and driven by a will that stemmed from more than ego.

In short, perhaps he was a level above Bandon…

Without saying a word, Kai slowly started to approach the arena once again, and the auburn-haired Padawan found his snide smile once again.

"Before we begin…" the unnamed student quickly called out before Kai reached the platform, causing him to pause. "Your not going to need your lightsaber… please give it to someone for safe-keeping."

Kai was left a bit dumb-founded. How could he have deduced that the young Guardian was carrying a weapon? He kept it sheathed on his back underneath his robe in order to avoid… attracting attention. Ironically it seemed that he had gained the focus of his peers regardless.

"Mical…" The young boy tensed up as his name rung out, along with Kai's gaze falling upon him, it quickly being accompanied by several dozen others. "Please come here…"

Attempting to place the discomfort he felt from such attention out of his mind, the youngling slowly made his way across the grounds towards his older friend.

As the child came to stand before him, Kai, almost seeming shamed as he looked upon his friend, slowly reached behind his back beneath his cloak. "I'm… sorry, Mical."

Was he apologizing for having forsaken their training session and then choosing to fight with another? By the way he said it, Mical almost felt as though Kai was apologizing for something much worse. But as what that could be, the young boy did not know.

"Could you please hold onto this?"

As Lugo's hand reappeared from beneath his robe, nearly all watching eyes within the room, spare those of the auburn-haired Padawan who knew what to expect, went wide, accompanied by shocked murmuring and gasping at the sight of the weapon: a double-bladed lightsaber.

Calmly, Kai held the weapon lightly for the young boy to take. Mical, just as much surprised by the sight of the weapon that's length was easily twice as long as that of his own lightsaber, held both of his shaking hands out to receive the weapon.

"Don't activate it," the young Guardian warned as he calmly placed the weapon within the child's hands.

"I would follow your friend's advice, young one" the unnamed Padawan mocked as Lugo turned back upon him. "For those who are not intensely trained in such a weapon's use, you're likely to cut yourself in half as soon as the beams ignite."

Though his words did unnerve the child, his shaking starting to intensify, Kai quickly placed a comforting hand on the youngling's shoulder to calm him. "Control, Mical…"

At the sound of his friend's words, young Mical breathed deeply to calm himself, and just as quickly as it started did the shakes disappear from his hands. With steady motion, the young Padawan brought the weapon to his side, making sure to place his fingers away from the activation buttons.

A slight chuckle escaped the enigmatic student's lips as Kai calmly started to climb up the side of the platform. "Well done. You might have the makings of a teacher or leader about you."

Kai's expression remained indifferent as he met the Padawan's gaze after reaching the top of the arena.

"Do you know that it is believed that Exar Kun was the first Jedi to ever use a double-bladed lightsaber," the unnamed student continued as Kai slowly moved towards where Bandon's former vibroblade now laid. "At first, the Council condemned such a weapon, saying that the only value it had was 'more kills per swing', and naming it a Sith lightsaber. And indeed, there is something… dark about it, isn't there?"

He paused as if expecting the young Guardian to give confirmation.

"The commonality of single-blade wielders has created an image of just that… the common Jedi: a single-lightsaber, Force-pushing, robe-wearing warrior… Not to say that such Jedi do not deserve respect for their strengths and abilities."

Kai slowly bent down and picked up the sword beneath him, still not taking his eyes off his soon-to-be opponent.

"But it is the unique… the uncommon, and even the bizarre that catches the eye and attention of those around us." The enigmatic Padawan spoke with a strong zest in his words, as though he were preaching his personal philosophy. "Those that are unique, those that have strengths that are lacked by their peers… They are the leaders we follow… the Masters we praise… and the monsters we fear…"

"So what?" Kai finally responded as though annoyed by the earful he was getting. "Are you calling me special… or a monster?"

"Well…" the unnamed Padawan elaborately shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't be interested if you were just that… Their might be more, but I can't say for certain... Not yet, at least. But than again, I know that if you were a common Padawan you would not be trained in the arts of dual-blades."

"I could say the same about you … Protégé…" With that, Kai spun the sword about in his grasp and quickly tossed it at the Padawan. With an ease that only comes from arduous training in ambidextrous techniques, the auburn-haired Padawan shot his left hand outward and caught the hilt of the weapon in mid-air, never taking his brown-eyes away from the green ones that met him as he brought the blade the rest at his side.

The room became deafly quiet then, filled with shocked expressions.

"You have a sharp eye…" the unnamed Padawan commented.

Kai nodded towards his right in the direction of a weapon stand up against the wall. On this particular stand rested a weapon that had gained dust over the several years it had laid in disuse. "Do you mind?"

"My pleasure…" the unnamed Padawan responded as he raised a hand in the direction of the stand.

For a moment, the weapon simply shook in place before it suddenly jumped from its resting point and launched like a spear in the raven-haired Padawan's direction.

Many of the onlookers jumped and yelled in shock and fear in that moment they realized that the weapon was aimed directly at Lugo's head.

And like a chorus, the yells reached their peek just before the moment the double-bladed vibrostaff made contact. It was in that moment that Kai dropped downward, simultaneously reaching up with his left hand and catching the bladed staff by its center hilt as it passed overhead. And also, he never took his eyes off those of his opponent.

Mical watched his friend from among the crowd, shaken by Kai's ability, and more so by how different he seemed. His usually compassionate eyes had become cold, sharp, and dangerous, all of which seemed emphasized by the deadliness of the weapon he now held with such ease and familiarity, and his stance: knelt down with his free hand on the ground, like a beast ready to pounce.

Stranger still, the young Guardian was smiling as though amused by the attempt on his life.

"Your aim must have been off…" Kai sarcastically remarked as he slowly rose from where he knelt.

The enigmatic student continued to smile. "Good thing you were able to dodge it then…"

"Indeed…" With weapon now in hand, Kai walked over to the far corner of the arena opposite his opponent.

Silence fell amongst the crowd of students as the two combatants stood at their respective points, all within the room feeling the rising flame of the coming conflict about to clash between the Protégé and this unknown Padawan they had only noticed in passing in his conflicts with Bandon and while he trained with the blonde-haired youngling, and who now suddenly began to radiate with a prowess and control he had never revealed before. And all but two of those watching did not even know who he was…

"I'm Kai Lugo, if you desired to know," the young Guardian remarked with a bow of his head as if just remembering his manners.

"Yes, I know who you are," the auburn-haired Padawan responded, "I've known since nearly… well, your first little skirmish with Bandon…"

Kai arched an eyebrow slightly for a moment, noticing the pause within his counterpart's words, as if he was about to say something else, but quickly disregarded it as meaningless. "Is that so… then would you grant me the same courtesy before we begin, or are you so far beyond everyone else to even have need of a name...?"

"Unfortunately, no…" In an elaborate posture, the unnamed Padawan lowered his head and bowed at the waist, one armed crossing his chest, the other held out far to his side. "I am Revan…"

…

He spoke his name as though it wielded great power in itself. And while Kai, who had had no name for the better part of his life so far, knew what value a name could have to others as well as one's self, he could almost sense a great weight within this Padawan's name, as though it would mean more than his ever would. Whether that was a good thing or bad, or simply his imagination, the young Guardian could not tell…

"Then well met, Revan…" Kai calmly responded as he flourished the vibrostaff about him before bringing it to rest in front of him with only his left hand upon it. "Shall we begin…?"

"As you wish…" Revan calmly responded, elaborately spinning both his blades about as he fell within his stance, this time facing his opponent and knowing him to be a true predator…

But then so was he…


	6. Chapter 6

There was no Knight to call out, nor bell to ring, nor whistle to blow to initiate their match, nor was there need for one. As soon as Kai and Revan had fallen into their battle stances, they had become the most vicious of enemies, consumed by their wills to conquer each other.

This was no training exercise, every watching student realized. This was true combat in every sense of the word: two individuals enveloped by their instinctual natures that have been formed, toned, and hardened by such training grounds like the one they now stood in, and perhaps by so much more.

Their eyes bared no uncertainty, their grips and stances did not twinge or shake. They were two warriors that knew themselves and were not afraid.

And yet neither of them charged forward in a rush in the hopes of overpowering the other in one quick and reckless attempt. They were both too well in control of themselves for that, and knew the other would be able to counter any such foolhardy attack.

Rather they did as the most cunning of beasts, and waited unflinching for the moment to come: the moment when their quarries would stumble in their defense, would shuffle their feet, would twist their stiffening wrist, or would blink for just a moment too long. And in this, they both knew that Kai had the advantage.

Despite Bandon's rather juvenile, if not pitiful attempt to win over the auburn-haired Padawan, Revan could not deny that the match had left its mark, by more than simple exhaustion. Bandon's attacks, having been made of strength and anger and nothing more, had caused a numbness within his right arm, one that still lingered ever slightly. He had managed to hide it up to this point and hoped that the effect would wear off before this match would begin. Unfortunately for him, the lack of feeling caused him to inadvertently lower his blade, no more than an inch.

It was more than enough for Kai to see, and immediately he recognized it for what it was and acted upon it not a second later.

To the crowd of students, one moment the raven-haired Padawan was on the far side of the arena, the next he was right in front of his opponent, spinning about as he brought his vibrostaff to bare.

Revan was admittedly as amazed by the young Guardian's speed and agility as all the other onlookers, abilities that made it impossible for him to dodge or parry the accompanying attack, leaving him only able to counter.

The ringing of metal on metal poured outward like the crack of thunder as Revan used both his swords against Kai's attack on his right side, only just managing to prevent the oncoming blade from reaching him.

A short pause in their movements occurred then as the opponents eyed each other. This time, the snide smile was upon Kai's lips.

Revan realized that this was going to be much harder than he had anticipated…

The first assault was quickly followed by a barrage of others, with both Revan and Kai attacking and countering with incredible speed and efficiency. The young Guardian's attacks came in rapid successions as he continually spun about without pause or, more surprisingly, lack of control.

However Revan was none the lesser in his assaults, his blades seeming to dance with one another as they cut through the air, one always meeting the incoming attack, the other returning an attack of its own.

It did not take long for the auburn-haired Protégé to realize that his opponent was used to fighting an enemy that wielded dual blades, as he countered Revan's assault too efficiently for one of inexperience. Even more alarming was the fact that his opponent was deliberately assaulting his right side with more aggression than his left, causing the numbness in his arm to increase rather than dissipate as he had hoped it would. Realizing that if this continued his grip on his sword would become compromised, Revan acted upon an advantage of his own.

As Kai made his next attempt, which his opponent countered efficiently with his left blade, he quickly found the other sword thrusting at him dead-center from below. Caught a bit off guard by the change in tactic, and unable to directly counter due to the nature of his own weapon, the quick footed Padawan responded in the only way he could, by jumping straight back.

In that first pause since their fight had begun, both the combatants were now so immersed in their match to even notice the awed silence of the students that surrounded them.

It was a match unlike anything any that the gazing Padawans had seen before. They had watched the combat exercises of fumbling students. They had seen Bandon overpower all his opponents with his raw strength and intimidating persona. But they had never seen anything like this…

This was a true clashing of warriors…

As both Kai and Revan rushed to catch their breaths, calling upon their strength of will to rejuvenate their energy as fast as they could, both also spent the moment thinking upon their tactics.

For Kai, he found himself contemplating much as he did when having trained with Kavar. Like the Jedi Master, this dual-blade wielder was efficient in using both his weapons, countering Lugo's assaults and retaliating with the fast precision of one who could divide his mind between his hands. Fortunately many of the advantages that the young Guardian found he had against Kavar he found he also had against this one, and also a few others. He was still able to make assaults and counters at a faster pace than his opponent. That, combined with the slight advantage in strength he had, which he usually lacked heavily in against Kavar, meant that he could likely force an opening within Revan's defense.

However the pompous Padawan's last attack made it apparent that he was aware of Kai's own disadvantages. His staff-based weapon, and even his lightsaber, left him vulnerable to almost all thrusts and direct assaults upon his center; a weakness that he had trained hard to minimize by seeking to perfect his ability to dodge and parry, but still a weakness… And also, the nature of his more aggressive attacks, which required massive amounts of spinning and counter-spinning, was bound to eventually cause him high levels of disorientation if he was not careful…

Revan found himself much in the same state of mind. Admittedly, he was not used to facing opponents who used double-bladed lightsabers, and only knew of a few within the Order that currently wielded such weapons. And while he had predicted his opponent's strength and precision, the green-eyed Padawan's level of speed had caught the young teenager off guard. He never had a moment to really look for, let alone create an opening, too preoccupied with avoiding the strikes that came at him relentlessly. And in the end he had to rely on a rather crude advantage to obtain the moment he needed to catch his breath.

And Revan despised crudeness…

He silently commended Kai for forcing him into such a position…

Already the brown-eyed Protégé knew that he was at the disadvantage when it came to their levels of skill at melee combat. But he was not worried. He had other skills, ones he knew his opponent lacked...

- - -

With all other eyes within the room focused on the combatants, there were none to notice it when the young white-mane Knight that had silently practiced her forms within an isolated corner of the room had deactivated her lightsaber and joined in their vigil.

Atris watched as she always did, from a distance, away from all others, wanting none of the Padawans' useless bantering to occupy her attention. She had completed her combat exercises with acceptable efficiency, and though she knew she needed to depart to prepare for her lectures, she instead found her attention drawn to the conflict before her.

"Fool…," the young Historian muttered under her breath as she eyed Kai with contempt for his poor decision in choosing to partake in a battle that he had lost the second he had agreed to allow the use of Force powers.

Even while she had been training, the clairvoyant Knight had felt it. Massive levels of energy hung about Lugo's opponent like a thick mist, well cloaked by the level of calmness he maintained.

The currents swirled about him so slowly that the young Historian was not sure that they were moving at all. And he was responsible for it. He was maintaining the energy, keeping it focused about him by sheer power of will.

And if he called upon those energies, if this one known as Revan allowed his power to flow freely about him, it would have been as a hurricane, he the eye of the storm, and even the least Force-Sensitive Padawan present would know of it.

Against the power of such a Force User, all of Kai's skill would be as nothing.

Atris knew how this would end.

"Stupid fool…"

- - -

Both the combatants had quickly recovered from their first encounter, both the wiser for it and both ready to begin again. And while Kai knew already that in terms of stamina and physical strength he held the advantage, not for a moment did he allow himself to think that the outcome of this match was decided. In that moment when his opponent had used the Force against Bandon, the young Guardian had determined that Revan's power lied more beyond physical perception. How much power? He could not say. Enough to fling an average weight teenager more than twenty feet away and slam him into a wall… But, if that was the extent of his abilities, then he wouldn't bare such a pompous title like Protégé now, would he?

As if almost responding to his thought, Revan smiled at him. Sticking his clenched fist and blade out in front of him, he slowly raised his arm higher.

Yet only stillness seemed to meet his exaggerative movements, and Kai focused his sight hard upon the brown eyes looking back at him, unsure of what his opponent was doing, yet certain there was purpose behind his actions.

The awed gasping of the crowd of Padawans caught the raven-haired Jedi's attention, and he turned to learn of their astonishment. And when he found it, he could not help to admit that he was astonished himself, if a bit disheartened by the sense of impending danger that quickly filled him.

All about the arena, dulled vibroblades hung quietly in the air like a circle of spectators, or like a pack of thugs waiting for the command of their leader.

Ten… fifteen… too many for Kai to be comfortable facing all at once…

Slowly, Revan turned about his wrist, and as if signaled, the chorus of blades turned their tips inwards at the arena, all of them pointed directly in Kai's direction.

"You seem to have a talent for avoiding," the young Protégé remarked as if impressed.

Two of the swords swooped through the air towards the young Guardian like birds, but with the deadliness of throwing spears. Fortunately Kai managed to avoid them with relative ease, dodging under the first and jumping back a foot to avoid the second.

However the green-eyed teenager received but a moment's grace before the rest of the entourage joined in, diving at him at varying speeds and angles.

Suddenly Kai found such subtle movements to be insufficient as he was now forced to put his acrobatic abilities to the test. Dodging, spinning, and jumping as fast as he could, the blades came at him relentlessly, all the while their master stood quietly at the far end of the arena, with but his hand held high to indicate this was his doing.

How could he be doing this, Kai wondered as he flipped backwards then dodged to the left, five of the blades barely missing him as they shot by, seven more following behind them. Lifting and pushing stone blocks with the Force was one thing, but creating a barrage of vibroblades was a feat unto its own.

Dodge, dodge, flip, jump! The blades flew by the quick-footed Padawan harmlessly, Kai only being able to avoid being skewered by mere inches with most of the weapons, by mere centimeters with others.

Fortunately for the young Guardian, there were apparent limits to Revan's power. He seemed unable to adjust the courses of the blades one he launched them, having to wait until the swords reached the edge of the arena before turning them about and sending them flying again. As skilled as he was, the young Protégé could only focus in so many directions at once.

But that may yet have proven to be meaningless for young Lugo, as he knew the situation was completely in Revan's favor. Kai had no way of going on the assault while the blades continued to hinder him. He barely had enough time to register the barrage of incoming weapons before moving to avoid them.

And then there was the limit on time that he could feel building within him as the exhaustive maneuvers began to take their toll. Jumping about like a tach on spice was quickly draining what stamina he had, and, based on how calm and comfortable Revan seemed to be as he idly stood by, there was no question of who would give out first if this continued.

He needed to end this, and fast. And in order to do so, he would need to implement a feat of his own. His timing had to be perfect; otherwise his attempt would leave him open for his opponent to skewer him at his leisure.

Kai's gaze focused hard in Revan's direction, and upon the four blades hovering close to him. He needed to wait…

Five blades came at the raven-haired Padawan from different directions, forcing him to jolt left and right and flip backwards in the air.

Just a little while longer, Kai thought to himself, his breathing becoming harder, the heat and numbness building within his tiring limbs. Just a little longer…

Three more blades flew forth at young Lugo. Dodge, dodge, roll! The swords shot by harmlessly, forcing Kai ever closer to his limit…

Just a moment longer… soon… there!

The four blades around Revan flew towards the teenage Guardian, and Kai did not miss a beat. He crouched down low to the ground, his mind focusing the energies of the Force through his body, building the momentum within his legs.

And just as the entourage of weapons were about to reach their mark, Kai jumped into the air.

In another rare moment, Revan found himself caught off guard by his opponent as Lugo's form flew spinning through the air at him, his vibrostaff twirling in his hands as he came in for the strike. His mind too focused on supporting the barrage of hovering blades, the Protégé had no time to call upon the Force to counter, leaving him once again forced to act in desperation.

Just as Kai landed on the ground, spinning about with his weapon following through, Revan leapt away into a roll. In that moment, he lost the ability to focus, and the hovering blades fell from the air, causing several spectating Padawans to jump back in order to avoid the falling weapons, with one or more not moving quick enough and receiving a light knock to the head.

Revan came out of the maneuver kneeling on the ground, his back facing that of his opponent. "So… you do know how to use the Force…"

"In a way," Kai responded between breaths as he turned about to face his adversary. "Pushing, pulling, and lifting others is not my style. I prefer… more supportive Force techniques."

"I see…" A genuine smile crossed Revan's lips as he stood up and turned around. He had hoped to find something interesting in the green-eyed Padawan, but this… this was a true challenge, and that pleased him even more. "A devotion to attacking your opponents with nothing but the weapon in your hands… You would do the Sith proud."

Such a remark would not have passed with a Master and perhaps most Knights, and by the unsettled murmurings of the crowd, it bothered many of the Padawans. Everyone there knew the Sith were not a subject to joke with or to be taken lightly. All the lectures the students had received on the dangers of the Dark Side and the Jedi who embraced it had made the subject almost a taboo in their minds.

Kai took the taunt for what it was. "As opposed to a Jedi who tries to run his enemies through with a fleet of flying blades…?"

Revan chuckled in good humor as he took a few steps back. "What can I say? I like creativity…"

"I bet…" Kai responded, then raising his weapon to point in his opponent's direction, or rather at his right side. "By the way, it looks as though you did not dodge fast enough…"

Revan had attempted to ignore the sudden rise in numbness in his arm, having thought it the result of his sudden exertion accompanied by his earlier match. But now, looking down upon his limb, he found the sleeve of his robe torn where the vibrostaff has slashed by. Again, he admitted only to being impressed. As he took a more direct look at Kai however, the auburn-haired Padawan's smirk increased. "And it looks as though you did not jump quickly enough…"

A puzzled look crossed Lugo's eyes for a moment, then quickly disappearing as he suddenly noticed the stinging sensation on his cheek. Touching it and looking upon his gloved hand, he found several small drops of blood now stained the gray leather.

Apparently his attempt had not been as perfect as he had formerly thought…

"One for one then…" Kai replied. "Be more careful in the future. All these attacks towards my head… some might think that you're trying to kill me…"

"Careful with the sarcasm," Revan retorted as he brought both his blades before him. "Some might think you're actually enjoying this…"

It surprised Kai that he had to resist the urge to smile.

- - -

Mical was speechless.

More than speechless, he was shocked beyond belief.

When Kai had saved him from Bandon during that incident a few days back, the youngling had thought his elder friend at least capable of defending himself, though he did not think that Kai could actually win against Bandon in a fair fight.

When Lugo had started helping him with his combat training, Mical had only then thought that perhaps Kai might be able to hold is own against someone like Bandon, but he still had not thought him capable of victory.

Now Kai was standing strongly against the Jedi Protégé that had defeated Bandon as if he was a first year Hopeful, and Mical found himself nothing less than wide eyed and struck silent. He could not believe what he had seen in the last fifteen minutes or so; could not even follow it for the most part.

Where once he had thought the young Guardian was at most knowledgeable in the ways of melee and lightsaber combat, he now found Kai fighting like a veteran, using advanced Force techniques to fly through the air and move faster than one thought possible, throwing about dozens of combat forms as he quickly cycled through them with uncanny speed and precision. Shii-Cho, Makashi, bits of Juyo and Ataru: Kai was moving too fast for the young Padawan to recognize them all.

This could not be the same student who had helped him in his training…

"Amazing…" one of the older Padawans muttered in disbelief, then looking behind him at young Mical. "You were training with him?"

"Yeah…" Mical eventually responded with small nods of his head, appearing unsure of his own answer. "I think so…"

The elder boy chuckled lightly at the youngling's response with a few shakes of his head as he turned back towards the arena, making Mical feel a few feet smaller than he actually was.

He did not have time to wallow in his sense of meagerness as round two of the match suddenly began.

- - -

It caught Kai by surprise as Revan made the first move, charging at him with enhanced speed. The raven-haired Padawan was prepared though, and waited to counter the oncoming attack.

The moment the gifted student came in for the strike though, his blades came slashing downward in unison, aimed at his opponent's collarbone. And while Kai could have easily deflected such an attack by vibroblades, his training in combating lightsabers forced him to react differently.

The young Guardian immediately dodged to his right and moved to return the favor, slashing downwards upon his enemy. Yet in the instance he expected to feel the edge of his vibrostaff striking against cloth and sinew, or at least hear the ringing of metal, he found his blade to be cutting nothing but air.

What the-?

Kai's eyes went wide as his survival instinct immediately kicked in then, causing him to jump away in a roll, just as two blades cut through the place where his neck was. Coming out of the maneuver on one knee, the young Guardian looked up to find Revan standing where Kai had not expected him.

How had he…?

Revan once again came charging at him and this time Kai moved on the offensive, dashing to meet his opponent head on. He needed to know how it happened…

As they came within distance of each other, Lugo slashed out in a wide arc: an attack his opponent could have easily blocked and countered. But the auburn-haired teenager did not respond as such, as Kai had hoped. Instead he ducked low, the blade of the vibrostaff cutting so close as to slice the tips of a few strands off his head.

The young Guardian followed through with his momentum, spinning about and prepared to launch another attack.

Yet in that moment where he came back around and saw that Revan was not where he was expected to be, rather than panic, Kai listened to the Force, the streams and currents as it rushed about him, the arena, the students, the entire room. He was not sure what he was listening for, but knew that the answer to how his opponent was managing this feat was there.

At first, he felt nothing particular beyond the rush of the energies about him produced by their match. He listened closer. He needed to find it and quick, otherwise-

There!

And in the moment that Lugo found what he was looking for, he already knew that it was too late.

In desperation, Kai dashed forward as quickly as he could, but it was not fast enough. A vibroblade came slashing low, catching the back his right leg just below his knee, sending numbing pain coursing through the limb and causing him to tumble forward helplessly.

Now wounded and gritting his teeth, the raven-haired Jedi did his best to get away, rolling and turning about on the stone tiles as he placed himself as far and as fast as he could away from where Revan now stood. Smiling...

Attempting to rise to his feet, Kai crumbled back to the ground as the pain coursed through his limb.

"My, that looks painful…" Revan remarked, swinging his left blade back and forth like a pendulum while resting on the other. "That's two for one, by the way… I don't suppose you'll want to go another round?"

Biting down hard, Kai managed to pull himself back to his feet. A massive bloodstain covered the back of his trousers where the blade had cut through, rather cleanly for a dulled weapon. His leg barely managed to support his weight as it was, let alone would he now be able to keep on fighting as he had. By the account of most there, this fight was over.

…

But Kai was smiling…

Revan arched an eyebrow as he noticed his opponent's curious expression. "Did I miss something?"

The green-eyed Padawan did not reply. Instead he brought his vibrostaff before him and fell into stance as best he could.

A heavy chuckle erupted from Revan as he shook his head in disbelief. "I have to hand it to you, Kai, you have impressed me several times during this little skirmish of ours, and that is not an easy thing for me to say. Why don't you just call it a match? You did your best…"

Revan had seen all that he wanted out the match. He had no interest in continuing.

But Kai did not respond, did not even flinch, the determination not leaving his face, and partly also because it hurt like hell to move his leg right then.

Sighing heavily with a nod of his head, the auburn-haired Protégé conceded to his opponent's stubbornness. "As you wish…"

Raising his blades to the ready, Revan charged in for the last strike. Predictably, Kai attacked in the only manner his one good leg would allow: in a wide slash to his left.

Revan once again dodged beneath the attack. And in that moment, the skilled Force Wielder called forth the energies surrounding him, sending them coursing through every cell within his body.

With a speed that caused the world around him seemingly to blur, Revan moved with trained precision around his opponent to place himself in Kai's blind spot.

It should have played out just as it had twice before. Yet instead of finding Kai's exposed back, what Revan discovered was a dulled vibrostaff smashing into the lower half of his ribcage, breaking bone, knocking the air from his lungs, and sending him tumbling away from his supposedly crippled opponent.

A heavy silence filled the room then, accompanied by a lack of movement as neither combatant stirred for several seconds.

Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the technique he had only just succeeded in emulating, Kai barely managed to catch himself with his free hand when he crumbled to the ground as the energies he had pulled forth began to surge beyond his control.

Disoriented and in a world of pain and numbness, Revan struggled as he lifted his head from the ground and brought his legs underneath him, choking on his agonizing breaths as he looked across the arena at his equally drained counterpart.

How had he done it? It should have been impossible for such an average Force User to use such an advanced technique!

"How…" Revan managed to mumble between hard breaths, and loud enough for his opponent to hear.

Kai, finding himself in much the same fashion as his opponent, barely managing to hold himself up, out of air and strength, caught his breath only long enough to respond in a broken sentence. "A fluke… from watching you…"

If Revan had the capability of laughing right then he would have. The mere thought that this student, who seemed at best capable of maintaining the Force Speed technique for an elongated period, had somehow managed to pull off an ability far beyond his means, even for a single moment, just by watching another's attempts was an astounding feat. The fact that he managed to survive it was just as astounding, regardless that it left him with barely the strength to stay conscious. Force Warp placed such a terrible strain on a person's body, so much so that very few Jedi learned of it, and fewer used it.

It was the luckiest fluke that Revan had ever heard of.

It took within the span of an entire minute for the pair of combatants to manage to get back to their feet. Kai was forced to switch hands as his left arm felt like it was about to come out of its socket, his attack seeming to have caused nearly as much damage on him as it had on his opponent. Revan realized that he was no longer carrying his right blade, apparently having lost his grip on it and most of the feeling left within his arm upon being sent flying by that last attack.

It seemed as though Kai managed to regain a small percentage of his strength first, as he slowly started towards his opponent, limping with every step on his damaged leg. If he sought to end this match, he knew he needed to do it fast. Someone as talented as this egocentric Protégé likely had at least some ability in Force Healing, an ability Kai lacked in totality.

And indeed while Revan had learned how to use the Force as a means of recovery, such techniques required too much time and focus from him, and with his adversary slowly approaching, he could not afford to waste either.

Besides, he had had enough of this. This match had already gone on longer than he had desired, and he certainly had not predicted ending up with broken ribs and blood in his throat.

"Sorry Kai… I wish I did not have to end this in such a pathetic manner…" Revan muttered between coughs as he raised his open palm towards his opponent. "But we rarely get what we wish…"

As with Bandon before him, Kai was suddenly struck with a wave of power meant to send him tumbling off the edge of the arena.

It barely knocked him back two steps...

What the hell!? Revan's eyes went wide with disbelief. That Force Push should have easily done the trick! There was no way the barely conscious Lugo could have deflected it in his condition!

The emerald-eyed Guardian did not question his luck, continuing his slow approach.

More by instinct than by conscious thought did Revan call upon his ability to perceive through the Force then. And in one glance within his opponent's direction, the gifted student saw the reason.

The energies of the Force, which normally flowed like a current through those capable of feeling it, was thrashing about within and around the raven-haired teenager like a wounded beast, erratic and unstable.

Apparently the incredibly lucky Padawan's attempt at using a technique beyond his means had more consequences than simply leaving him broken and drained. With the Force's energies currently out of his control, likely also causing spurts of pain to shoot throughout his body, there was no way for Kai to call upon them for assistance. Nor could anyone affectively use it against him…

Revan attempted to push his adversary out of the arena again, this time with twice the amount of power as before, causing most of the gazing students standing within the attack's direction to be knocked off their feet. It should have sent him flying into the wall! Through the wall!

Lugo was forced four steps back, then continued forward.

Revan persisted, throwing wave upon wave at the Padawan in desperation. Yet Kai endured every one of them, and continued to approach.

Numbness flowing throughout his body, the slightest movements causing spikes of pain to erupt within his chest, the auburn-haired Protégé had no desire to bring his remaining blade to bear again, unsure if he would be able to outlast Kai if it came down to it.

He needed to end this fast!

Pulling at the massive energies that surrounded him, Revan unleashed the power within a constant wave at his opponent.

At first, the attack seemed to knock Lugo back several feet, his boots digging into the platform as he fought against it. And for a moment, it looked as if he would be dragged by the stream of energy all the way off the edge of the arena.

Gritting his teeth and fighting pass the pain in his leg and throughout his body, Kai managed to call up enough of his strength to stab his vibrostaff into the cracks between the stone tiles, halting his progression towards the arena's edge. He would not let it end like this.

At a much slower pace, the determined Padawan started moving forward again.

- - -

The spectating students were watching in awed silence, amazed at the sight of the two combatants throwing the last of their strengths into winning this final match.

Not least among them was the Echani Knight.

How was he doing it? The question ran through Atris' mind again and again, speechless by what she was seeing. He should never have survived the first match. She could not believe he had survived the second one. Against Force Warp, a technique that was well out of even her league, Lugo's abilities should have been as nothing.

Yet he overcame it.

He had used it! It had only been for a single moment, but it was a moment that should never have happened! And the fact that the acceleration and surges of Force Energy throughout his body had not finished him off only added to the Historian's disbelief.

And now, against all that she understood about the Force, Kai was somehow managing to overcome the constant wave of power that should have sent him flying through the air!?

Atris did not understand.

- - -

They were both reaching their limit: gritting their teeth and straining their eyes as they threw all they had left at each other.

Kai pushed with an unyielding determination pass a leg that was begging him to collapse and an oncoming wall of power trying to throw him back, attempting to take the last few steps towards his opponent. Revan focused with an unbending will, refusing to give into the strain and agony caused by his aching form and from commanding the Force without pause.

Neither willing to give in to their suffering, or each other.

The crowd was on edge, none having the faintest idea of who would make that final attack.

Only two more steps and they would be in range to strike.

Only two more steps and they would throw every last inch of their strengths at each other.

Only two more steps…

Only one more step…

"Enough!"

The voice rang out within the room, cutting through the climactic moment as if someone had detonated a grenade within the area. And even Kai and Revan, who but a moment earlier were completely focused and ready to fight to their last breaths, were forced to give it recognition, prematurely ending their path against each other, and turning their eyes about to place the new commanding presence within the room.

Master Quatra glared with dangerous eyes at the pair of teenagers, who both seemed suddenly stricken with all the weight of their injuries, as she walked into the training grounds; eyes that almost every student within that room felt with a deep chill.

"All of you, get back to your exercises," Quatra proclaimed, looking about the crowded Padawans. "I will br overseeing the rest of the day's training."

As before, the bystanders were quick to follow the commands of the Jedi Master, making sure to keep quiet their mumbles of disappointment at being unable to see the end of the most exciting event they had witnessed after years of repetitive training sessions and study.

"Argh…" Kai fought against crying aloud as his right leg finally gave out in a wave of pain, forcing him down on one knee.

"Mical," Quatra called outwards as she turned upon the youngling, who stood alone in silence now apart from all the students who had returned to their training, "please help Lugo get to the assigned healer at-"

The teacher's expression became full of surprise as she took in all that her eyes fell upon. "Where did you get that?"

Mical, at first confused by the Master's words, followed her gaze to where it fell, upon the double-bladed lightsaber he held at his side. A sensation familiar to one who is caught by their mother with their hand stuck in a sweet jar filled the youngling then, causing him to drop the weapon and step back from it as if only realizing what he had been holding. "I… uh, I'm sorry, Master Quatra! I…it…"

"It's mine," Lugo finally interjected once having centered himself enough, bringing the young Master's and child's eyes back upon him. "It is my lightsaber, Master Quatra. Master Kavar assigned it to me back on Coruscant. You can confirm it with him, if you wish."

"Is that so…" Quatra calmly responded, finding she did not question the boy's words so much, considering what Kavar had told her of his combat prowess. Still, she did not think it wise to assign such a weapon to any Padawan, but kept such irrelevant thoughts to herself, as another matter greatly concerned her now. "Mical, please be quick about it."

"Yes Master Quatra," the youngling replied with a deep nod. He then rapidly picked the lightsaber back off the ground and ran up the stairs of the stone platform to his friend's side, holding the weapon out for him to take. "Here Kai..."

But the young Guardian did not even seem to notice the boy. Instead his gaze was upon the other individual occupying the arena, his eyes barren of emotion. A look that Revan returned.

As much as Kai did not like this conceited, manipulative Padawan, what he felt right then was a sense of curiosity and intrigue. There was something… compelling about this prodigy named Revan, as though he held an unseen power even greater than that which he wielded with the Force.

But again, that could only have been the young Guardian's imagination.

If nothing else, Kai could admit to having a sense of respect for the guy.

Tossing the vibrostaff upon the ground with a loud, metallic echo, Kai took his lightsaber back from the youngling, sheathed it back beneath his robe, and placed his hand firmly on Mical's shoulder as the child wrapped his arm around his waist, helping take as much weight off his right side as possible. Together, they slowly limped off of the stone platform and headed for the exit. Just as they threatened to pass her by though, Quatra reached out and placed her hand upon Kai's left shoulder.

"The Council is scheduled for a meeting tomorrow morning," Quatra quietly whispered to the Padawan. "I will need to speak with you before then. Come to my chambers tonight after the healer has fixed your leg."

Not in much of a position physically or otherwise to question what she needed to speak to him about, Kai simply nodded in acceptance. As he and Mical made their way out of the training grounds, however, he had a feeling that he had just done something very wrong.

Quatra watched as the pair disappeared beyond her sight, her own feelings wreathed with uncertainty; Uncertainties that would need to be cleared before tomorrow's meeting.

"Revan…" the young Master called out with frustration, having dealt with this unique Padawan's ability to rouse trouble in the past. Slowly she turned back towards the arena, "I assume you will also being needing the healer's…"

She found the auburn-haired student standing silently on the arena, his head lowered and eyes closed, drawing upon the energies around him in order to heal his battered form. And within the span of a minute, every broken rib, every bruise and laceration, was healed, and Revan stood as firmly as he did when he first stood upon the stone platform, albeit drained of most of his physical energy.

"Sorry, Master Quatra," Revan muttered, rubbing the sores out of his right arm. "You seemed to have caught us in the midst of a little dispute."

"You've been warned about acting out in the past, Padawan," Quatra firmly stated at the teenager, who seemed to be taking the matter completely in stride.

"Disputes are two ways, Lady Quatra. And Kai is quite the debater." Revan made a point of making note of a rip in the robe's fabric of his right arm. "Master Kavar certainly has taught him his fair share of tricks. Then again, he has quite a few of his own… doesn't he…?"

Quatra refrained from responding to the boy's remarks, through voice or expression, as the Protégé student's words hinted on knowledge that she had no desire to share or confirm.

Could he know about it? If he did, what intentions could he have towards Kai? What had been his intentions in combating him?

The young Master did not know, and realized it better not to pursue answers. Not now… She had too many concerns as it was, and desired not to add this particular student as one of them.

"You are not to engage him in combat training again, Revan," the dark-haired woman stated firmly as the teenager casually walked off the side of the arena towards her.

"As you wish," Revan responded without argument, calmly sending his remaining weapon to a nearby stand. It was enough what he had seen already.

This Padawan, Kai Lugo, he was something interesting. Something unique, and that pleased the young Protégé. Just as interesting was the fact that the young Guardian seemed completely unaware of it. And Revan had a suspicion why that was…

"If you will excuse me, Master Zhar will be expecting me soon…"

Again, Master Quatra watched in silence as another student disappeared beyond her sight, leaving her just as unsure as before.

- - -

She had walked out no sooner than Master Quatra had entered the training grounds and called an end to the match, and now stood quietly within the empty hallway with nothing but her thoughts to accompany her as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and her face lowered.

A few minutes ago, Kai had exited with his young friend helping him walk. As they passed her by, her Guardian looked at her for just a moment. His voice silent, his expression steady, his gaze... There was something within his eyes that she did not understand… that unnerved her like nothing else she had known…

They quickly passed her by without a word.

Atris had attempted to ignore it before, had attempted to act as if it did not matter. But then it had screamed out from him like a horrible wail that still ringed ever slightly within her ears. And then he somehow managed to perform a technique well beyond his means, and survive attacks he should not have, and stand against a foe he usually could not have.

Could it have been because of… whatever that presence was? Was it responsible for why he had accomplished what he had? How could that be? What was that sensation that rippled from him, screaming so loud that it nearly overwhelmed her this time?

At that moment, another Padawan appeared from the entrance to the training grounds. It was the student that Kai had been fighting against. Revan, if she recalled correctly…

Even now she could feel the Force about him, within him, its energies enwrapping him like a cloak that he wore with such ease.

With such power, he could have easily have thrown Kai off of the arena as he had done with the student before him. Why hadn't he?

"You…"

Revan, surprised to hear someone calling out to him, looked about to find the young Echani Knight approaching him, glaring at him with accusation.

"Why did you fight him?" Atris asked without hesitance. "You could have ended that match before it even began. Why didn't you?"

"I'm sorry… am I supposed to know you?" Revan looked upon her with squinting eyes, as though he were trying to place her face. "Ah… that's right… you're the Jedi Knight that he is assisting. Atris, correct?"

"I feel the energy that you wield, Padawan," the young Historian continued as if though not hearing his words. "You could have defeated him without raising a hand."

"Yes, you are correct," Revan conceded in a matter-of-fact tone.

Atris glared became dark with irritation, finding she liked being toyed with by this Padawan even less than she did by Kai. "Then why-"

"-You know why..."

The words became stuck within the young girl's throat as she was thrown back by the response she had received.

"You know what you felt…" Revan's eyes became sharp and serious, catching the Echani off guard. "You know why he is being trained as he is; why he has been passed from hand to hand, from Master to Master, never allowed to stay among a certain group or with a certain teacher for too long; why Master Quatra, who must have been several leagues away from the Enclave, came back so quickly only to stop us... to stop him…"

The young Historian felt the twinges of fear and uncertainty as the clairvoyant's students words forced her to think upon thoughts and matters she had done her best to avoid ever since Lugo had been taken in by the Order.

Yes, she had noticed it; noticed how differently the Masters treated Kai from the rest of the Padawans and Initiates; how they either seemed overly defensive of him or against him; how they often seemed to look upon him with curiosity and confusion, then turn away when he looks upon them; how he seemed to connect so easily with that child who hid away in the Archives; how even she…

Immediately closing her eyes and lowering her head to prevent herself from completing that last thought, Atris abruptly turned away from the Padawan and walked off in a fast pace. She had a lecture to plan. She had had enough of this. She wanted none of this!

Revan softly smiled with intrigued, watching the Echani as she left him to his own.

Perhaps he should watch her more closely as well…

- - -

"Are you certain of this?" Vrook responded after hearing news that he found hard to believe.

"Yes, Master Vrook," responded Reiko Vynn, Vrook's assigned Padawan and loyal student, a teenage boy with copper-colored hair and dark-blue eyes. "I was present when it happened. He emulated the Force Warp technique during the match. It left him severely weakened, but he succeeded in using it nonetheless."

"I see…" The elderly Master took the news with a sense of cynicism. How could a mediocre student of Lugo's level possibly perform such a technique? "And the youngling boy that he has been training…?"

"His combat abilities continue to improve, at a faster rate than most others. He is also participating more with his fellow students. As for his connection to the one from Coruscant, they seem to have formed a sort of… sibling relationship with each other."

A very grim look crossed the aged man's face, as though this bothered him more than all else. Though Reiko was unsure of why, he knew that this more than anything else about the one named Kai Lugo was important to his Master.

"And… what of the others…"

Reiko arched an eyebrow. "Others, Master?"

"The other students."

Taking a moment to think back upon the scene, Reiko eventually shook his head. "Beyond the incident with Bandon, no one in particular responded to him uniquely. They seemed more attentive to his match with Revan than upon him personally."

"Revan…" Vrook muttered the name under his breath. If there was anyone he did not want near Kai Lugo, it was that particular Padawan. The mere fact that he had initiated his match with Lugo suggested that he perhaps knew something already.

"Master Vrook," Reiko called out, bringing the elderly man out from his thoughts. "Shall I continue my vigil over him, sir?"

"Yes… yes, my apprentice. Continue to watch him. Be ever mindful of what he does and whom he interacts with as always. And report back to me any strange happenings you notice."

With that, Vrook turned to leave his student, having many matters to think upon and to prepare for the Council meeting tomorrow.

"Master Vrook," the young Padawan called out to his teacher before he disappeared from the room. "Forgive me, but this student… is he truly dangerous?"

"That he most certainly is, my young Padawan," Vrook immediately replied without turning to face his student. "He himself is perhaps unaware of it now, but he represents a danger far greater than even most Masters realize… Do not be fooled by what you've seen thus far, Reiko Vynn. If left uncheck, he has the potential of destroying everything our Order stands for."

Reiko knew better than to question his Master's words. If his teacher labeled this Padawan as a danger, then that was what he was. "I understand, Master Vrook. I will continue to watch him as you have instructed."

"Serve the Jedi well, my apprentice," Vrook called as he left, "Serve me well…"


	7. Chapter 7

Time seemed to crawl by for Kai after having left the care of the healer and making his way to Master Quatra's quarters

Time seemed to crawl by for Kai after having left the care of the healer and making his way to Master Quatra's quarters. Night was already setting upon the compound and most of the inhabitants of the Enclave had retired for the day, leaving Kai to walk the hallways in quiet solitude, which he preferred.

Mical had immediately left him after arriving at the medical center without as much as a word between them. The boy had not wanted to speak with him. Was he mad at him for partaking in that combat match? Confused by what had occurred on that arena? Scared at the level of ferocity the raven-haired Jedi was able to partake of?

For Kai, the answer was all three…

Why had he allowed himself to partake in that match? A part of him knew that it was because he had wanted to fight that prodigal student, Revan. Something about him just seemed to… challenge Kai in such a way that he did not understand, as if they conflicted on a higher level.

The other reason… it was not hard for Lugo to deduce…

Ever since being taken in by the Order, Kai had found himself receiving little in the ways of recognition. Many Masters seemed to have trouble giving him attention, as if he was a waste of their time; a nuisance that they had to pass around among each other.

It had been hard for him to feel any sense of self-worth ever since… well, then… and it was not until he met Master Kavar that it became a little easier.

Maybe here, in a rare moment where he got to be amongst his peers for more than a day, he had just wanted to show that he was actually good at something. Maybe good for something…

A childish reason, but one Kai found compelling more often than not. After all, beyond a life he was trying hard to forget, this life was the only one he knew. And yet it seemed as if he barely had a place in it.

He could fight, yes, as he had proven time and time again wherever he was. Few seemed to have an appreciation of it though, and fewer seemed to have an appreciation of him, as a student or otherwise.

Was this need for self validation something that the other students of the Order felt, Kai wondered? If they did, they managed to hide it well. Most seemed rather content with their roles, as though they had the certainty of self-value. As if simply being a student was enough for them.

For Kai, for someone who only knew self-worth through his actions, not labels and titles like the ones he bared in his younger years, perhaps becoming a Jedi did not mean as much to him as it did to others.

When Vandar had first offered him a place in the Order, the Jedi Master had asked the young boy what it was that he wanted in life. Kai realized now that his answer back then was probably not one the little green alien had expected to receive, nor one that he could grant.

His answer had been that he did not want to have to fight anymore.

That life… it had been one seemingly endless war against inevitability. His earliest memories recalled an existence of being passed around by several individuals as debt collateral and payment, placed in menial labor and treated with little more dignity than a pet gizka.

He escaped that nightmare only to find himself deep within another in the depths of Coruscant. A nightmare in which he could do nothing but fight; fight to eat, to stay warm, to avoid slavers and anyone else who looked to a street urchin as a means of taking their vices out upon. He fought against that nightmare for himself and for so many others to the point that it nearly killed him more times than he cared to remember.

Master Vandar had been nothing short of a savior in the young Guardian's eyes, and yet the emerald-eyed Padawan found himself unable to completely accept the new life he had been given. Or perhaps it would not accept him…

Why? He did not know...

For those like Mical, the reason seemed to be a simple lack of confidence. All it took was for Kai to show a little support and companionship and the youngling found his strength of will.

But then, what was Lugo's reason? Why did he not feel he belonged in that room, training alongside the other Padawans? Was it as that prodigal student named Revan had suggested? Was he really different from the rest of them? If so, how? He was not a prodigy. He did not bring anything special to the Jedi.

Maybe there was no reason…

Maybe he simply did not belong…

Maybe he was more of a thief than a Jedi…

It occurred to Kai then that he had walked pass Master Quatra's chambers without noticing, forcing him to turn back around.

Placing such thoughts far out of his mind as he reached the doorway, he pressed down on the call panel. Standing there, waiting for her to answer, he realized that he had not really considered exactly what it was that Quatra desired to speak to him about. Was he in trouble? He was unsure but it would not have surprised him. She could not have been pleased with what she had walked in upon when she entered the training grounds: two Padawans interlocked in a vicious duel, with one limping on a badly-damaged leg, and the other coughing up blood.

The image caused Kai to wince in discomfort, berating himself for his own foolishness. He should have just walked away. Why had he allowed himself to be manipulated by that spice-head of a Protégé? It was a question he suspected the young Master would ask him, and he had no idea what answer he should give.

The door to the Master's quarters opened then, revealing the room on the other side. The lighting of the immediate chamber was that of late twilight, colored with interweaving shades of greens and blues, providing an illumination for which one could see quite clearly, yet without being assaulted with brightness.

From the doorway, Kai spotted Master Quatra sitting quietly at a desk at the far end of the chamber, her back towards him as she was comfortably leaning back in her seat and apparently studying over something in her right hand, though the Padawan could not perceive what from where he stood.

"Please enter, Kai," the young Master called out to the student without turning to greet him. Complying, Kai calmly stepped into the room, granting him a better view of the chamber. He found himself standing in what was apparently a study, the walls of the room aligned with shelves filled to the brim with tomes, datapads, and a handful of relics and artifacts that the teenage student could not identify. There was also two other doorways within the room beyond the one Kai had taken to enter: one with an old-fashioned, stained-glass door that lead to somewhere the young Guardian could not determine, and a more standard automated doorway that he imagined lead to the Master's private chamber. He also found the reason for the strange luminance. While the overhead lamps provided the general lighting, it was the grand collection of flora that gave the colorful atmosphere; a wide assortment of exotic ferns, palms, and mosses that seemed to glow with an eerie yet calming bluish green.

"A fondness for botany, Master Quatra?"

Now perhaps was not the best time for sarcasm. Fortunately the Master took the remark in stride, which bode well for Lugo's situation.

"A fondness for the ambience, actually," the young woman responded without yet turning about as Kai slowly approached her. "They provide the presence of life without the struggle; a serenity most never know in there lives. Also, they help me relax in the long hours of the night I am forced to spend in this room."

Another chair was present near Quatra's own, likely having been used by guests in the times that she needed to converse with others on a more personal level. Kai chose to stand though.

He was finally close enough to make out what the teacher was studying over in her hand: a datapad. More so, he noticed the image of a person upon the datapad.

"I doubt you will find that personal record very interesting, Master Quatra." Kai remarked indifferently.

The teacher smiled softly as she laid the record down on her desk. "Master Vandar made mention of your high perceptivity. A skill no doubt developed in your time before joining the Order."

"No doubt…"

Slowly, Quatra turned about in her chair and stood up to face the student more evenly.

Her figure was completely draped in the silk fabrics of her night-robes, her dark hair, still slightly damp from the shower she had taken not twenty minutes ago, hung freely over her left should as she had yet to put it up for the night. The light yet intoxicating scent of jasmine hung about her. As perspective as Kai might have been, it was only at this point that he finally saw that the young Master was quite beautiful; a very un-Jedi-like thought that he quickly buried in the back of his mind as soon as he became aware of it.

No point in avoidance now, the Padawan figured. "How may I be of assistance, Master Quatra?"

The teacher stood silently for a moment, looking back into the eyes of the student, studying him, evaluating him, in a way similar to how the other members of the council had when he had stood before them.

What had she read in his record that made her look upon him in such a way, Kai wondered?

"The other students told me of what had occurred within the training grounds," Quatra finally responded, and Kai was glad for it. He had feared her desiring to ask him of things he had no desire to speak about or remember. "Bandon is still unconscious in the medical wing, and is not expected to recuperate for a couple of days. Knight Nemo will be reporting the event to the Council tomorrow."

To this, Kai simply nodded, having no real part in what had happened in that event and desiring to have nothing more to do with that particular Padawan.

"You do not like him, do you," Quatra remarked evenly and rhetorically.

"I imagine few actually do," Kai just as evenly responded. "It may not be my place to speak ill of a fellow student, but very little about Bandon struck me as being… Jedi-like..."

Only after saying it did Kai realize how hollow such a statement must have sounded hollow coming from him.

Still, Quatra had to resist smiling in order to remain indifferent towards such an apt claim. Though she had little to do directly with Bandon's training, she knew enough about him to know the trouble he had caused in the past, though he had often enough maintained his temper for the council to feel he might be able to eventually gain some manner of peace, or at least humility. She was not so optimistic.

"I've already relayed this to Revan, but you need to know that you are not to engage him in such a match again." Quatra spoke with a much softer tone than the one she had used when having given the same order to Revan.

"Very well…" Kai accepted the restriction without argument, having no real desire to fight or even see the out-spoken Protégé again. That could not have been the only reason why she had needed to speak with him before attending the Council meeting.

"In fact…" Quatra hesitated for a moment before continuing, unsure as to whether saying more would be saying too much. "It would be to your benefit if you did not engage in training matches with any of the other Padawans while you are here…"

And indeed, that did catch the young Guardian's attention. He had no intention of engaging in such a match anytime soon, but still, to be directly told such a thing… "Why?"

How could she answer him? How could she tell him the truth without revealing all? If he knew why he was different, if he learned of what it was that he had unleashed upon the Force within that training chamber, then the Council would not risk him anymore, of this the young woman was certain. They would isolate him, study him, and make sure he was not a risk to anyone or anything again… even if it meant breaking his very connection to the Force.

She did not want that for him. She did not want him to be denied his potential, to be sent off to some corner of the galaxy like Telos to serve as a farmer or diplomat or one of the other many positions given to those Initiates and Padawans who are decided as not having a place within the Order.

So how was she to answer him?

In the end, Quatra had been silent for too long in her search for an answer, and Kai came to one on his own, believing it to be the only one that made sense.

"Master Quatra, am I in trouble with the Council?"

A simple question with not so simple an answer. Kai had not knowingly done anything wrong. And yet after what happened this afternoon, that may no longer be relevant. They will desire to take action.

But that was for her to worry about, not him. She had already decided that she would do what she could to prevent any action taken against him and that was all the concern over the matter she needed for the moment.

But right now, she needed to be his teacher.

"Come with me."

The Jedi Master then walked over to the stained-glass door, opened it and proceeded through without another word to her student.

As to what her intent was, Kai could not guess, but he felt no need to be mistrustful. Though they've had little interaction since the day of his arrival to Dantooine, the young Guardian found Quatra, like Vandar and Kavar, to be more acceptive of him than other Masters.

That was to say she at least managed to take his sarcasm and often nonchalant mannerism without casting him disapproving looks.

Honestly, when Kai walked up to the doorway, he did not know what to expect to see on the other side. Apparently what Quatra kept in her study was but a fragment of the extent she invoked her preferences in ambience.

The room itself was perhaps un-magnificent: grey stone walls that marked off an area about the size of the study, except these were barely seen under the blanket of vines that covered them, growing upward over the dome-glass skylight, through which dozens of small beams of moonlight entered.

More exotic scents found their way into Kai's nose; those of the many flowering plants that filled the room, birthing mostly variations of violet and blue mixed in with the deep, waxy green of their leaves that reflected the soft luminance.

Quatra walked slowly upon the stone walkway, her gentle motions and white, silk robes giving her an almost ethereal appearance, as the path cut between the center bed and the outer ring, circling back around to the doorway.

The young teacher quickly realized that she was still alone within the room, and turned about to find the Padawan silently standing at the doorway.

"Is something wrong?"

Kai looked about the room for a moment before turning his eyes back upon the Jedi Master. "I… feel as though I'm trespassing into a forbidden region, to be perfectly honest."

Quatra smiled warmly in amusement. "Trespassing implies entering without permission…"

With a heavy breath, Kai nodded. "So it does…"

Still, the young Guardian was hesitant in his motions as he took a step into the room, almost as if he expected something to happen in response.

Nothing did though, and Lugo took another moment to look about him at his surroundings, and how strange they were to him, though not in a bad way. He could feel the warmth of life that enveloped the room, different from that of the swarms of people he more commonly, but still rarely, found himself enveloped in. This life was still, silent, un-assaulting and non-defensive at the same time, with none of the rush of urges and emotions that so often accompanied it. It was simple… Just there…

It was such an unfamiliar feeling to the teenage boy: to be bathed in life and yet finding that he did not have to brace himself against it. Stranger still was the sense of clarity he felt himself deriving from it, as if he was being stripped of all the burdens of life as well. It was an alien sensation for the youth who was so used to baring such weight.

"This is my meditation chamber," Quatra explained as she stood on the far side of the path, running her hand against the petals of some of the flowers. "Though, perhaps it is more of a sanctuary for me. Here, I am able to feel the Force when it is calm, unstirred by the emotions and actions of others."

"It's nice…" Kai muttered, unsure as to how he should respond or why he was being shown this place. "One of the benefits for being a Master, no doubt…"

"A benefit I hope you will gain from as well."

To that, the young Padawan found he had no response. As peaceful as he did find this slice of paradise, he was lost as to what exactly the Master intended for him to take from it.

"I've heard you've been helping to train Mical," Quatra remarked as she continued to walk amongst the plants. "And that he has progressed quite well because of it…"

"I would not say I've helped him progress much," Kai replied with an indifferent shrug. "I simply showed him what he was doing wrong. The rest is due to his own abilities."

"And I've heard about the incident he had with Bandon…" She stated more firmly.

But again, Kai remained indifferent. "It was an accident that got out of hand. One I believe that the Knights should have intervened in before I did."

"Yes, I agree," Quatra lightly nodded in concurrence. "In general, we hope that our teachings are enough to help students control and turn aside their stronger emotions. And, in most cases, it has proven effective, so some are not always quick as they should be to intervene on situations that the students may resolve peacefully themselves. However, Bandon, like you, is one of our students that came into our Order at an older age. He… spent many of his earlier years surrounded by aggression, and as much as we've done to help tame his anger, he is still prone to act upon it."

"Then perhaps he does not belong here," Kai remarked, despite knowing it was not his place to say such a thing.

"Nemo is set to speak before the Council on the events that led up to his incapacitation. What happens to him after will be decided then."

Though the young Guardian would have liked to have the peace of mind of knowing that Bandon would be transferred to somewhere far away, not only for his sake but also for Mical's, Kai accepted that the matter was out of his hands. "And what of that other Padawan? That Protégé?"

"You mean Revan?"

"Will he be held accountable for what happened to Bandon?"

Quatra found that she had to pause to truly take in the teenage boy's words, and what they suggested. Despite Kai having openly stated that he did not care for Bandon, could it really be that he was bothered by what Revan had done to him? "I believe he has already explained the incident with Master Zhar, and Nemo has confirmed that Bandon was attacking him when he defended himself."

"He has a funny way of defending himself: throwing someone straight into a stone wall…" Kai muttered in ridicule. In truth, if he believed that Revan had done what he did simply out of a desire to defend himself, then it would not have bothered him as much as it did.

"I would advise you not to worry yourself about that one, Kai," the young Master replied as she continued to admire her surroundings. "Revan is… a different sort of student. Despite his eagerness to learn the ways of the Jedi, the Masters who seek to guide him have had a hard time leading him properly."

"…Like me…?"

Quatra's hand froze as it was caressing the thick leaves of a plant, her eyes becoming tense though Kai could not see them from where he stood. Yet it was apparent to him that his words had hit their mark, perhaps closer than he had expected. Closer than he would have believed…

Slowly the silk-clothed woman turned about to look upon her student, and found through his eyes that his words had been more rhetorical than a question. Regardless, she responded with a question of her own…

"Kai… what do you remember of your life before the Order?"

How the young Guardian responded to such question even caught him by surprise. A stream of memories found their way from the back of his mind to play in front of his eyes. They were blurred, jumbled, a nonsensical chorus of sounds, images, and sensations, yet powerful enough that they still remained inside his thoughts. Before letting them get the better of him, as they had in the training grounds, the Padawan forcefully pushed them back into the dark, closing his eyes to calm and recenter himself.

"A lot," Lugo finally and bluntly responded. "Why…? What does it matter now?"

It had not been as violent as before, but from beneath that mass of memories and thoughts, Quatra had felt it once again. It had been only slightly, a shadow of its true form, but enough to confirm a suspicion she had developed. "I cannot begin to imagine what such a life must have been like for you… I'm not sure that there are many your age that could have survived as you did…"

She had apparently read more from his personal record than Kai desired. Still, he shrugged indifferently. "You learn to survive…"

He wanted it to be unspecial, as if all that he had suffered and experienced in that life within Coruscant's depths had no bearing on anything present. "Is that what you did, Kai? You learned to survive?"

"Yes…"

"And the little ones you watched out for… did they learn to survive, or did you carry that burden for them as well?"

The image of that warehouse, filled to the brim with ragged, forgotten children, flashed for a moment within the young Guardian's mind, before he quickly pushed it back down. He was not sure why he did not want to think of them. Something about remembering their faces, their presence, there was something… painful about it: the memory of the endless struggle that he had endured for them…

"They…" Kai seemed lost for a moment, uncertain of what it was he wanted to say. "… I… did what I could for them. Besides… it wasn't like anyone else was there to do so…"

Quatra silently listened to the teenager, and felt the pain behind his words, despite what he did to keep it in check. But as to the nature of that pain, the young Master was unsure. Regret? Possibly… Anger from abandonment and for those others like him who were abandoned? Just as, if not even more, possible… Yet still she felt that it was perhaps something more…

"I still do not understand why you are asking me this," Kai replied as his gaze fell back on the woman.

Quatra smirked as she lowered her gaze. "You know, Kai, if you were to ask any of the students here or at any other academy why they chose to join the Order, why they desire to become Jedi, I imagine that you would receive something along the same answer from most: To become something more than what they are… To have the ability to serve the greater good, and perhaps change the galaxy for the better…"

It reminded Kai of the speech Vandar had given him when the elder Master had first welcomed the dirty, thieving boy that he was into the Order.

"But not you, Kai," Quatra went on to add as she brought her gaze back upon him. "I believe… your reason for joining the Order has nothing to do with desiring to become more than you were, or in seeking to help others… I saw it when you first came to Dantooine, as did the other Masters…"

"Saw what?"

A long pause fell between them then, Kai waiting for a response, Quatra hesitant to give the one she had. Slowly, she walked around the center bed and came to stand before the raven-haired Padawan who looked back upon her with eyes desiring her answer.

And with a heavy breath, the young Master gave it to him. "Jedi are meant to carry the burdens of knowledge and the power of our choices, Kai. But you… you bear something a bit more… and much heavier in some respects… There are few among the younglings that I believe could have survived what you did in that forsaken place… let alone have the will to care for those who could not care for themselves…"

"Please, Master Quatra…" Kai interjected with a slight tremble in his voice. "Do not make me into something I'm not. I survived and I helped others survive… barely in most cases… but that's all it was and all I care to take from it…"

Quatra's eyes became hard, almost directly challenging the young teenager's words. "Have you forgotten how you were when Vandar found you, Kai? It was something that he described in grave detail within your record, as did the medical physicians who cared for you those first few years…"

Lugo remained silent, not wanting to think about it, but unable to avoid it as the young Master recited what she had read within the record.

"Extremely malnourished, approximately eleven kilograms underweight with early signs of muscle degradation. Eyes red and dry from very long periods of activity without sustenance, lethargy, or possibly even sleep. High sensitivity to ambient and intense light sources. Pale, translucent epidermis with blood samples showing a weak autoimmune system. Life expectancy if allowed to continue: two years at most…"

Kai had kept his eyes close the entire time Quatra had recalled the long buried image, fighting it down with sheer force of will. Strangely, he found that whilst among this secluded garden, that his mind was able to focus quite a bit easier than when he was around others, allowing him to fight back the mixture of images and emotions that arose to assault him with every word. Was this why she had brought him here?

"Wha… what does it matter anymore…?" Kai finally responded as he opened his eyes again, a slight aggression echoing outwards from the severity of his glare and the low growl within his voice as he struggled against himself. "I am not that person anymore so what-"

"-Yes you are, Kai," Quatra responded in a very firm voice to make it clear that it was non-refutable. "You are still every bit the young boy Vandar took in: a youth who instinctively knows how to fight in order to survive, and somehow finds it within himself to fight for others as well, despite how much you suffered for it…"

He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that she had no idea what she was talking about. He wanted to turn around and walk away. Yet he found he could do none of these things. And then she spoke again.

"Why do you think he gave you the name that he did…?"

Her words felt as if they had grabbed Kai by the throat, causing him to choke on whatever thought had been passing through his mind as his gaze went blank.

His name...

In truth he had not thought much on the origin of the name chosen for him. What had he cared? He had been happy just to be given one... He just liked the way it sounded at the time...

Kai Lugo... _Kai'ren Lugola_... From what he had learned whilst spending a boring day in the public archives on Coruscant, it was apparently a black-feathered sea bird found on some world named Corsin. The ancient natives of that planet apparently once called it the 'Spirit of the Mist', as sailors would take it out with them and release it if they were to become lost at sea, using the creature's natural sense of direction to guide them back to land.

If Lugo recalled correctly, the Kai'ren was also known to commonly collapse from exhaustion and drown in the waters before actually reaching land, unintentionally sacrificing itself at the sake of the sailors it guided, hence birthing its local name along with a long list of prayers and superstitions surrounding it.

Was that how Vandar had seen him as when he found him on Coruscant, Kai wondered? Is that what he was?

Yes, he had fought tirelessly to keep those others like him on Coruscant alive. Yes, he had suffered many wounds because of it, the left side of his face still bearing some slight discolorations from that failed attempt with the old man from long ago. Yes, he starved, he longed for sleep and respite, and pushed himself farther than he believed he could even now.

Yes, he had taken Bandon's wrath upon himself instead of allowing Mical to suffer it, and sought to train the child as he had with others…

"You have not left that life as far behind you as may believe, young Lugo. In fact, all that joining the Order may have done for you is allowed you to catch your breath from that struggle. and allow you to better fit yourself for it," Quatra added with a calmer voice as she felt her words reaching the teenager. "You still seek to suffer for the sake of others, to take their conflicts onto yourself…"

"I thought that's what Jedi did," Kai finally responded as his gaze returned to the woman. "And all I have done so far was helping a kid find a sense of confidence and fend off an ego-drunk fool."

"I am not arguing that your actions have not been admirable thus far, Kai," the Master conceded. "I am simply asking this: did you do what you did for the sake of others, or for your own?"

The question dumbfounded the teenage Guardian, for he did not understand it. "How could what I have done been for the sake of self-interest?"

It was then that the young Master brought her hand before her and pointed at her student, indicating that he had asked the right question. "Think on it for a moment, Kai. Think: what went through your mind when you protected Mical, or chose to train him? Or even from before you joined the Order when you were helping the others like you on Coruscant? You must have been alone and scared, with no one to help you. No one to care for you… For one such as you to have gone out of your way, to have placed yourself in danger for the sake of those willing to concede to their suffering… For anyone to be so selfless… where does such an individual find his strength of will? What makes you sacrifice yourself for the sake of others…"

It was such a simple question, and one that Lugo felt he could answer easily: because it was the right thing to do. And yet as he was about to give his answer, another thought occurred to him, one that muted his voice and brought uncertainty to his eyes. For as he thought on those moments where he had intervened against Bandon and started to help train Mical, he realized... he could not remember why he did such things…

…He had simply… acted without thought, as if by reflex… Had seen the youngling in trouble and moved on the offensive… had sought to help him and the dozens on like him on Coruscant learn to fight and defend themselves and survive…without thinking about what he was doing or what it would cost him...

"You cannot answer, can you, Padawan…" Quatra stated after the teenager stood for several moments in silence, his eyes turned down as he plagued his mind for an answer he never thought to seek before. "You've acted for the sake of others your whole life up to this point without concern for yourself, without thinking of the consequences, or even why you do it in the first place."

"I…" Kai so badly wanted to respond. He wanted to give an answer, both for her and for himself, but he could not.

Because it was important to him? Because he did not like to see others suffer and struggle, or treated as if their lives were insignificant? Could the reason really be that simple? He could have responded with any of those answers, and yet he knew that to say such things would have felt hollow to him. Not because they were not true, but because they did not answer the question completely… And he did not know why…

Seeing the disturbed look within his eyes, Master Quatra stepped forward and lightly placed a hand on the teenager's lowered head to help calm him as she continued to speak in a soft voice. "You are different, Kai Lugo… You have an impulse that most do not… an instinct to act beyond whatever fear or uncertainty lies within you for the sake of others, above even your own sake… And I… we… fear for you because of it…"

Kai's confused eyes came back to meet the teacher's, forcing her hand to fall away in the process. "You fear for me?"

Fear for him… fear of him… the young Master was not entirely sure which was the stronger that the Masters felt…

"You are drawn to conflict, to danger... no matter the risk to yourself... It nearly killed you more than once, Kai. It would have had you continued to live as you did. But what is to stop that from happening again? What is to stop you from throwing yourself into a conflict that you cannot escape...?"

How could the young Guardian answer that? He did not completely understand what this... instinct of his meant. Drawn to conflict? Was that what he was? What did such a thing mean: to be pulled in by the suffering of others?

When he asked himself why he did it, why he had allowed himself to starve, to go days without sleep, to accept the wounds he endured from his failed attempts at stealing, the answer had been simple. They had needed him to do so. And that had been enough. But now...

"I cannot do that..."

His voice spilled forth in the most serious tone that the young teacher had heard him speak in since his arrival on Dantooine. The contrast was as sharp as a blade, with passive sarcasm replaced with strong intent. Within his words, she felt power. Not that of the Force or of anything physical, but a strength that she did not fully understand that seemed to pour from him at this moment with such ease that it left her silent as he spoke. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, and she was powerless against it. "I cannot live a life of second-guessing my actions. For whatever I have suffered or might suffer, I have not once regretted my decisions, so I will not question why I made them. So if I am being controlled by some... impulse to survive and help others... if there is something else behind what makes me what I am...so be it..."

She had no words. How could she respond to such a statement? She had told him the danger such a thing presented to himself, and he accepted it. What else was there for her to say? Perhaps she should tell him... No!

She could not tell him of anything else... His effects on others, that echo of pain and agony that rippled out from him... none of it! What she had revealed was enough for now. To lay any more responsibility on him would have been an act of cruelty on a life that had already seen more than its share of it. Whatever that dark presence was, whatever influence Kai had upon others... right now it was the Order's responsibility, not his... not yet...

"You're a strange one, Kai," Quatra remarked passively while turning about and walking a few feet away, partly because she realized she was having trouble thinking impartially and needed to… distance herself from him. "You are more… passionate than many of the Padawans I train. And while I must advise you to separate yourself from such things, along with whatever your... instinct may drive you to do, it cannot be denied that you are also more in control of yourself than most others your age."

"I guess..." Kai evasively responded, not really having had enough interaction with others his age to draw such a conclusion. Well... except for Atris, though he always had a suspicion that she did not exactly fit the criteria of a normal teenage girl. "So... what exactly is that you want me to do, Master Quatra?"

What was there for him to do? He had done nothing wrong, and nothing that she could ask or demand of him would change the suspicions and concerns of the Council.

Gazing up through the vine-covered ceiling at the bits of nighttime sky that she could see, she answered. "Nothing… I would appreciate it if you avoided taking part in any more dangerous situations while you're here, though I know you may not be able to promise that..."

He did not reply. They both knew the answer he would have given.

Softly chuckling in amusement, Quatra turned back around to look upon her student. "Take care of yourself, Kai. That, more than anything, is what _we_ want from you."

It was not often that Kai found others took an interest in his wellbeing. It was… an unusual sensation for him, one that had he was still learning to appreciate…

"I hope you never live to regret your decisions, little bird," the young Master teased with a warm smile. "And I hope that you never lose something dear to you by doing what you believe is right..."

It was hard for Kai to imagine losing something important to him since he was not convinced he had anything to lose, but he returned the smile nonetheless. "I don't think I'm that reckless..."

"We can only hope... Goodnight, Kai. And may the Force-" For some reason she did not understand, the young Master felt as if saying such a thing was conflictive with the moment, and the needs of this particular student. "... I mean... sweet dreams..."

As strange as it was to hear such a thing from a Jedi Master, Kai found it to his liking. "You too, Master Quatra..."

With a final bow of respect, Kai left the meditation chamber to its owner.

Quatra watched the young Guardian leave, and for the first time now saw Lugo in a different light. She recalled the look within his eyes, the way he walked as with a heavy burden, that she had noticed when he first arrived. Originally, she had dismissed it as nothing more than an illusion, a trick of the eye and mind, born from what she had learned of the teenager from Kavar and his personal record prior to meeting him. It was perhaps her nature as a teacher to look upon students as being naive and headstrong, with few exceptions. And she had attempted to look upon Kai with such a predisposition when he first arrived, as a means for keeping herself objective. After all, how much could a teenage Padawan possibly know about what it means to be a Jedi?

But she saw now that she had been looking upon the boy through the wrong eyes: the eyes of a Jedi. It was not the burden and strength of knowing the Force and being a part of the Order that Kai carried with him. No, it was the struggle of an unimaginable life, the instinct to fight for sheer survival and show compassion to others, the suffering of a thousand wounds to the body and spirit, and the strength born from all of it… Something no instructor or lesson within an Academy could have taught...

Could she have survived what this boy had, she wondered? Could any of her students? She had drawn her lightsaber before in the past, fighting off bandits and raiders and the other miniscule threats that Jedi take very little from. Always in such conflicts where her life was in danger she had been the overwhelming force, defeating such enemies and ending such struggles with relative ease.

It had never been the other way around, with her facing an overwhelming power calling out for her corruption and death. But that was exactly what Kai had faced nearly his entire youth. Could she have fought back the darkness where he had? Could she have shown empathy and compassion when he had?

Such thoughts unnerved the young woman, for she could not answer her own questions. Kai's strength of will… she had seen others with something similar. Revan was the first person to come to mind, but that Padawan's resolve had always been backed by his extraordinary levels of power combined with his often aggravating habit of looking at situations as if from an outward perspective. Kavar was another perhaps, but his strength of will had always seemed to stem more from having a purpose than anything else.

No… what Kai had was a power that stemmed from whom he was, nothing more. And perhaps… that may explain more about Lugo's abilities than anything else they could learn about him.

Realizing the hour was getting rather late, Quatra left her meditation chamber behind her and headed through her study to her bedchamber. The day's worries and concerns had drained more of her strength than usual, and she knew she would need her stamina for tomorrow's meeting.

Yet… as she was closing the door to her bedroom, she found herself entertaining a strange thought… one causing her to pause for a moment.

…If Kai was able to live through situations that a normal person was unable to… did that mean that perhaps… his instinct for survival would allow him to survive situations that a Jedi could not…?

An interesting prospect, but one she doubted would ever be put to the test…

- - -

Kai had not gone very far after having left Quatra's chambers. In fact, he was still standing with his back to the door by the time the Master had retired for the night.

As certain as his words to the teacher had been, the young Guardian found himself silently plagued with doubt.

He had never truly questioned why he did the things that he did; why he drove himself so hard for the sake of others.

Back then he would have died of hunger and exhaustion had he continued living as he did. He remembered the pain, the suffering, the countless sleepless nights ever so clearly. And yet… he could honestly say that in all that time he had never once thought of quitting, of placing himself before the others.

Selfless: did that really describe what he was, or was he simply nothing more than the puppet of a will he had no control over?

He was not proud of what he had did back then. Pride had little place in the life of a thieving street-urchin…

He was not even proud to be helping Mical now, or that the youngling was becoming stronger because of him.

For Kai, such acts… they were just his way…

"As though by instinct…" he muttered to the shadows of the empty hallway.

Was that what drove him? Was that what made him fight a losing battle against time in the depths of Coruscant? What forced him into dangerous situations?

…What kept him alive in all those moments he remembered desiring death…?

How was he supposed to feel about such a thing? The Masters apparently viewed it as unnatural, and possibly dangerous...

...

...

...And he had a suspicion of why...

- - -

He could feel their eyes upon him. Judging him. Ridiculing him. Hating him. Like always...

Yes, his clothes were different. His hair was different. He had been rested, fed, bathed, and cared for in all the ways he could never afford to by himself. And yet he knew that no matter how much he may have changed physically, they would look upon him as they always have: beneath them.

It had been barely over a month since the preteen boy had been taken into the Order. In that time, he had spent most of his waking hours within the care of physicians who apparently were gravely concerned with his health. Through week after week, he received treatments, tests, and was constantly hounded by questions on whether he was eating and drinking enough, and doing the exercises routines given to him, and about how he was feeling all the time...

Uncomfortable: that was how he was feeling...

"Kai... Kai... Kai Lugo?"

It took the young Initiate a moment to realize that the voice was calling out for him.

"Sorry, Master Kavar," the boy weakly responded to the man next to him as they slowly walked down the public path amongst the flowing crowds of people.

"It's alright..." the Jedi Master assured the youth, knowing the boy was still not used to actually having a name. He also saw how tense the child was, burdened with an anxiety that had barely dissipated since having first met him.

This youth nearly always seemed to be on edge, his eyes jumping about frantically upon every face that turned towards them, like a small animal amongst dangerous predators. A learned habit no doubt...

At first, Kavar had not been sure as to why Master Vandar had entrusted him with the mentoring of the young one. He was a Guardian. A warrior. What could he possibly offer to some child who was barely an Initiate?

Within the first few hours of meeting him however, Kavar discovered the answer...

Originally, Kai's behavior had been far worse. He hardly slept or ate, and often had to be given sedatives to help calm him. His mind constantly raced so much that even Master Vandar found he had trouble seeing into his thoughts.

This was an animal that had been taken from the world he knew and thrown into one completely unfamiliar to him, so much so that he even had to wear a visor for the first few weeks until his eyes became used to direct sunlight.

And Kavar, as one who had bathed in war and knew the nature of such primal instincts, and more so knew how to control and overcome them, he perhaps more than any other Master within the Order knew how to help the child.

It had been a slow process however, and Kai was still on edge from being around so many people at once. Fear and uncertainty filled him, so much so that the Masters agreed he was not ready to be amongst the other students. Among other reasons...

To help overcome these powerful instincts, Kavar had decided to take young Lugo on long walks through the streets of Coruscant for the next few weeks. And compared to the first attempts, things were going rather well today...

"How are they?" Kai randomly turned towards the man and asked. "How are the others doing? Are they okay? Are they being fed? Do they need me? Can I-"

"-Calm down, Kai," Kavar interrupted as he placed a soft hand on the boy's shoulder. "We have assurances by the Senate that they are being taken care of. You need not worry for them anymore..."

Taking a cleansing breath, Kai closed his eyes and nodded, finding that thoughts of the children were always at his side. For not long ago, he needed to constantly think about them in order to find the strength needed to go on. It was so strange for him to realize that he did not have to do it anymore.

"Think on your lessons, young Lugo. They are meant to help you." the Jedi Master added, "What is the first part of our code?"

Kai paused for a moment, having to think back through the many lectures he's had to listen to and the many datapads he's had to read since having started his training in order to recall that one particular note of reference.

"... There is no emotion... there is peace..."

Simple words, and right now that was how Kai needed them to be: simple. He needed to learn how to remain calm whilst amongst others, to learn how to let go of all the fears and behaviors that had kept him alive through those dark years. Something that it had taken Master Kavar a long time to achieve...

The child managed to visibly relax a little, though his eyes still darted about him. They both knew it would be a while before he could change that part of his nature.

"How goes your Force training," Kavar inquired in the hopes that a little conversing would allow the boy to loosen up a little more. "Have you made any progress recently?"

"I… was able to make a ball hover for about a minute yesterday…" Kai responded passively, attempting to gain a bit more control over his second-nature habits by focusing his eyes on the road ahead of them rather than the people that surrounded them.

"Really? Well done…" Kavar congratulated with a small smile, which Kai noted indifferently before turning looking back forward. "You should be proud of yourself, Kai. Some of the other Masters had doubt as to whether you would be able to learn the ways of the Jedi because of your age. But considering the short time-span you have been with us, I think you are starting to adapt just fine..."

"I guess..." As much as Kai knew he should have appreciated such words, the anxieties he was fighting against continued to occupy him, making him only able to half-listen to the Jedi Master at best. Being that he still had trouble doing something like openly walking down a public street, whatever desire he had to be part of the Jedi Order was currently overshadowed by his need to be able to function amongst normal society. But it was still comforting to know that he was making progress.

With all the commotion going on about them, the pair of Jedi were barely paying any attention to the noise above as speeders, ships, and other vessels flew by, the hum of their engines playing what seemed to be a never-ending symphony. However they, and everyone else within the area, became very aware of what was going on over their heads as the congregation was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion amongst them.

All eyes darted upwards as a speeder, now in flames, came crashing down amongst them. The next few moments went by like a flash as the vehicle crashed down on the crowded street, killing several instantly and sending others into screaming panics as they dashed to get out of the thing's way as it bounced upon the ground, coming up on the Jedi Master and young Lugo.

Despite his mind being overwhelmed by the sudden danger of the situation, Kai found his body attempting to flee. Yet before he could even take a single step to avoid being in the path of the oncoming speeder, he found a powerful hand grabbing his shoulder, holding him in place.

"Do not move!" Kavar commanded, at the same time raising his other open palm in the direction of the fast-moving wreck.

Almost immediately, the flaming vehicle began to slow down at an unnatural rate. And in the next three seconds, it ceased to move completely, falling short from the pair of Jedi by only a few short yards.

Standing in utter silence, the young boy's eyes fell upon the wreck, petrified by the site of the vehicle and the scene of carnage it had carved out of the not a moment ago calm street, leaving bodies of dead, severely wounded, and panic-struck individuals like him all about.

"Kai…"

The boy did not respond to the sound of the name, almost completely unable to even hear it over the sounds of the raging flames that covered nearly a hundred yards of debris.

"Kai!" Kavar grabbed at the child's other shoulder, forcing the youth to turn towards and look upon him. "Calm down and listen to me! I need to help these people. Find somewhere safe nearby and stay there until I come for you. Do you understand?"

Currently lacking in voice, the green-eyed youth nodded his consent, sending Kavar dashing off into the crowd without a moment's hesitation until he was beyond the child's sight.

Now standing alone in the middle of the street, the young boy found the rush of people about him, constantly knocking into him, just as unnerving as was the sight of the wrecked speeder crashing towards him, and immediately he sought to escape the commotion, fighting his way through the chaos to get out of the middle of the street over to the side of one of the many towering buildings that surrounded the road.

After being knocked over by the rush of people several times as he attempted to navigate through the chaos, it was a naive sense of relief for the youth as his hands fell upon the hard, cold stone of the wall. Taking a moment to catch his breath before turning about to place his back against the solid foundation, young Lugo found the change in position also gave him a change in perspective of the chaotic scene that he was ever grateful to have escaped.

Smoke filled the sky and crawled atop the road, spewing forth from the massive flames of the crashed speeded and the trail of debris it left, effectively blinding all those caught in its curtain and feeding their panic as they stampeded over each other to escape like a scared herd of nerfs, injuring many and likely killing some.

In the Lower Levels, fear and uncertainty were constant bedmates, and those who did not learn to live with such things were always the quickest to be consumed by them. One had to learn to run and hide and avoid others in order to survive, as the young raven-haired orphan had learned.

Yet these people… they were running each and every way, screaming in fright, smashing into one another with no consideration for how to avoid causing needless injuries as long as they were able to escape the danger in the process. It was doubtful that most of them even knew what had happened.

Danger was a rare thing amongst the common public; Kai realized this not long after his first few journeys upward whilst he lived far beneath the streets he now stood upon. People commonly walked about without weapons, without fear, and without the ability to defend themselves: completely separate from the world he once knew.

Was such a place a better world, he wondered? Looking upon its people now: scared, lost, and helpless, he truly did not have an answer…

Amongst the chaos of the roaring fires, agonized screams and yells, Kai somehow clearly made out the sound of a single high-pitched cry coming from nearby. He looked to his right to find an alleyway cut into the wall he stood against.

"Please let me go! I want my moth-!"

The voice echoing outward, that of a young girl, was abruptly cut short.

- - -

A hand shot out to cover her jaw, slamming her head against the stone wall.

"Shut your mouth, human!" The Zabrak tightened her grip on the child's face to make sure the youngling understood her. "If you desire to keep your jaw, you will keep quiet!"

"Easy, Zatara... She's not worth anything to us dead..." Her partner, a purple skinned Twilek, spoke up with a cold and calm demeanor as he stood nearby with a pair of Rodian thugs standing behind him.

"How can you be sure that she worth anything at all, Felt," the Iridonian shot back, "she's such a scraggly little thing..."

"In my experience, the scragglier, the better. She's likely to be the daughter of some noble family or other, which means they will be willing to pay more for her return."

The Iridonian pulled a wicked looking dagger from her belt and held it to the girl's cheek, causing tears to form in the child's eyes. "It would be better if we simply cut out her tongue now, else she'll be screeching all the way back down to the Lower Levels..."

The child's eyes went wide with disbelief and fear, mortified by what the Iridonian had said.

"Oh, very well..." the Twilek indifferently consented. "Just make sure she doesn't bleed to death..."

"No problem..." Zatara smiled with dark glee in her eyes as she lowered her hand from the child's mouth down to her throat. "Open up, little girl... else I will be forced to cut out those pretty teeth of yours as well..."

The little girl whimpered in fear, tears falling down her face, as she kept her mouth closed, unable to willingly bring herself to suffer something she could not even contemplate.

"Fine, as you wish then…" The female Zabrak pulled her blade away from the child's cheek and slowly brought it over to her mouth.

"What the-!" The Twilek stuttered as a small, robed figure dashed by him and his thugs. Zatara looked over just in time to see the figure about to run into her. The impact knocked her to the ground, causing her to lose her grip on her blade as well as the child.

Paralyzed with fear and barely seeming able to comprehend what was happening anymore, the little girl could not find the will to run away, standing there with her back against the wall, her expression frozen in horror.

Lifting herself back to her feet, Zatara eyed the dark figure who had moved to defend the young girl, placing himself between them and her. "And what the hell are you supposed to be!?"

Kai did no respond beyond glancing in the Iridonian's direction for a moment, being more concerned with the three to his right as the Rodians had drawn their blasters and the Twilek now held a bothan stunner.

"This kid... his robes... I think he might be a Jedi..." Felt remarked, his tone making it evident that he was now taking the matter more seriously, but then smiling after having realized something interesting. "I don't see a lightsaber on him though..."

He did not have any sort of weapon on him in fact, much to the youngling's disdain. He had barely had any training with a lightsaber since joining the Order, and was not expected to get caught in a situation outside the temple where he would need a weapon, especially whilst expected to be accompanied by a Jedi Master.

"Bad move, Jedi pup," Venom dripped from the Zabrak's voice as she approached a little more, having drawn another dagger from her belt. "What should we do with him?"

"A Jedi might be worth more..." Felt remarked, eying the youth as he considered the possibilities. "However... the trouble his Masters could cause is not worth the risk. Let's stick to the plan: kill him and take the girl."

Outnumbered, outpowered, and plagued with the fear of death looming about him: the sensations were as the young boy remembered them. And yet this time he could not react as he normally would. To run and hide now would be a death sentence for the girl... and he would not allow that...

"Let her go..."

The gang of underdwellers paused for a moment, surprised that this boy had anymore voice than the girl he now stood in front of.

"I'll go with you in her place," Kai continued, knowing that perhaps what he was asking would cost him his life, but finding he did not care. "I will provide no resistance for you if you just let her leave... You're not going to find a better deal than that..."

The Iridonian and Twilek eyed each other, and for a moment, Kai thought that perhaps they might actually accept his offer. But as the female Zabrak let out a cruel laugh, he knew otherwise.

There would be no bargaining, no mercy from this bunch. Strange as it was, such a realization seemed to make the sense of fear within him lessen, or rather his sense of self-control seemed to rise, as though he suddenly knew what he must do without hesitance or doubt.

Calmly turning to look behind him for a moment, Kai found the young girl, no more than three years his junior, who turned her tearful eyes back upon him. They were begging him, pleading to him. In them, Kai saw what she desired: to go home, to see her parents again, to be saved from this nightmare...

...

...

What choice did he have...?

"Do not move, understand...?" Kai commanded of the little girl in a soft whisper, who made no indication that she heard him, but remained still nonetheless.

Zatara paused for a moment as the young boy indifferently bent down and picked up the dagger she had dropped, holding it firmly in his hand as if he were prepared to use it.

The Iridonian laughed to herself, finding the scene of a child wielding a weapon amusing in its concept: a prey trying to be a predator. "You think you can use that, kid? Think you have the gull to kill us?"

He looked back upon her, and instead of seeing fear within his eyes as the Zabrak had expected, his expression was empty and cold, as if either not bothered by the predicament he had placed himself in, or not completely aware of it. The only thing she was sure of was that he showed no fear.

An unfamiliar sense of uncertainty stirred within Zatara then, but she quickly brushed it under a mask of aggression. "Fine… We'll do this your way, boy. Nice and slow…"

With that, the Iridonian and Twilek moved in on the youngling, the pair of Ithorians waiting back with their blasters at the ready, doubtful that they would need to get involved…

- - -

"Kai… Kai!" Kavar yelled out as he looked about the area where he had left the young boy.

In the ten or so minutes since the accident had occurred, the street had become nearly deserted, with a few lost stragglers still running about.

The Jedi Master had spent most of his time tending to those he could, with many of the injured well beyond his means to heal. Fortunately, medical teams had finally arrived on the scene by then, and it gave Kavar a moment to check up on the young one.

Only the child was nowhere to be seen...

Kavar was not one to panic, but even he could not deny the anxiety he was feeling. Taking the boy out into even a calm public scene had been hard enough, with the Master having to often use his abilities to keep the child calm. It was his instinct to run, to hide, to avoid others that kept the youngling alive for the better part of his life thus far. And such instincts were not an easy thing to overcome.

Why did he leave him behind, Kavar cursed at himself! He had thought nothing of the child's nature in the chaos of such a violent incident. What had he expected!?

By now, Kai could be well on his way back to Coruscant's depths, to the realm that he knew so well. And if so, Kavar doubted the Order would ever be able to find him again...

He was such a fool, the Jedi Master cursed at himself...

"Nadaa! Nadaa!"

A woman appeared off to Kavar's right, her expression bordering on mass hysteria. Upon noticing him, she hastily approached the Jedi Master, abruptly clutching at his arm. "You're a Jedi, right?! Please! My daughter! I can't find her! Help me find her!"

"Please, calm down," Kavar said as he grabbed a the woman's grip and slowly forced it off him. This was the last thing he needed in what was already a desperate situation... but what else was there to do? "Where did you lose her?"

"I... I..." the woman attempted to search through her frantic thoughts, barely managing to control her panic. "We were walking... then the crash... I... the smoke... something hit me... I couldn't see, but I heard her screaming! Someone took her! Someone took my Nadaa!"

The sound of a non-human scream ripped through the air then, catching the attention of the pair of adults as they looked towards its source.

From the depths of a dark alleyway not far from where they stood, a Rodian appeared, dropping a blaster to the ground. Several tints of blood splattered the alien's garment, yet only one of them was its own; the blood that current spewed forth from the deep laceration wounds in its right arm as it futilely tried to stem the bleeding with its left hand while running in the opposite direction from the two spectating humans.

It was at this point that Kavar had drawn and activated one of his lightsabers, fearing the worse based on what he had just seen and fearing even more that Kai was in the middle of it. He immediately dashed off towards the alleyway.

Yet as he approached, the Jedi Master's hearing was met with the sounds of a young girl whimpering, and Kavar realized that whatever had happened within the alleyway was already over...

Slowly, the Guardian rounded the corner, and from what he saw, he understood why the Rodian had run away. Admittedly the sight made even him hesitant to enter…

Blood painted the gray stone of the walls and floor, filling the air with an iron stench, the pitter-patter of it dripping onto the ground causing little sparks of trepidation within the war veteran Jedi. And amongst the scene of gore, a little girl sat quietly, her arms wrapped about her legs as she rocked back and forth, her eyes wide and empty as she whimpered in shock. The bodies of a Rodian, a Twilek, and a Zabrak, obviously underdwellers by the raggedness of their clothing, laid scattered about the scene, each of them covered with lacerations and stab wounds, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Kavar began to approach the child, but stopped once he noticed how the youngling grew more agitated as he came closer

"Nadaa… Nadaa!"

The woman appeared from behind Kavar and dashed out in front of him to her apparent child, quickly checking over the youngling to make sure she wasn't injured before enwrapping the youth in her arms. The girl seemed only half-aware of her mother, leaning into her embrace, though her eyes remained wide and empty as she continued to whimper.

For a moment, Kavar simply looked upon the scene with disbelief and confusion, unable to begin to guess what had happened, yet certain that this child was not responsible for killing these underdwellers.

A slight shift in the shadows farther down the alley caught the Jedi Master's attention. A small figure lay against the side of the wall, its head hanging low as if it were sleeping.

"Kai…" The Jedi Master muttered, despite not being able to see the figure clearly, but knowing it to be the youngling. The shadow-bathed youth made no indication that he heard him however.

It suddenly hit Kavar then, and his eyes became distraught at the realization of who had spawned this horrid scene of pain and gore.

Impossible… how could… he was just a boy! This display of mindless carnage… how could this child be the cause? Such bloodshed… such savagery… Kavar had seen scenes like it before… and he recalled them as the worst of his memories during the many campaigns of battle he had been a part of.

There was no way that…

This was not the time to debate such things, the Master told himself!

"Kai… can you hear me?" Kavar calmly spoke as he slowly started to move in the boy's direction. Still, the youngling made no response…

As Kavar moved deeper into the shadows, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and he was finally able to see the boy clearly… and the saw the blood that poured from his wounds…

Fearing the worst, Kavar dashed forward to get to the child. With such injuries, the boy would not live for more than a few minutes.

"Kai! Wake up!" The Jedi Master called out, hoping his words would reach the boy and help keep him conscious.

What it actually accomplished was something that caught the Guardian completely off guard. And fortunately his combative instincts responded just in time to make him to jump back and prevent the bloodied dagger that slashed across his chest from causing a serious injury.

Grabbing at the flesh wound, Kavar was left speechless as Kai now stood before him, blade in hand and ready to attack. To kill...

"Kai... what are you...?"

It was then that the Jedi Guardian was able to see directly into the young boy's eyes, and saw the emptiness within them...

"Kai... it's me! It's Kavar!"

Young Lugo did not respond. He could not respond, the Jedi Master realized.

This child... he was not aware of what he was doing... of where he was or whom it was that he was attacking... and perhaps not even how badly injured he was...

"Kai... Kai Lugo..." Kavar calmly called out to the child, hoping his name would spark some recognition within the boy, as unlikely as it was. "It's Kavar... do you remember me... do you remember the Jedi? Master Kavar, the little green alien that welcomed you among us?"

Kai made no move to indicate that any of the Jedi Guardian's words reached him. He simply stood there, silently without expression, his body covered with burn marks and lacerations which continued to bleed. He was running out of time...

It was his fault... it was all his fault! Kavar damned himself over and over. He knew the child's condition, knew how fragile his mind was, and in one moment of uncertainty, one lapse of judgment, he may have cost the youngling his life...

"I'm so sorry, young one..."

He had no choice now. Kavar charged forward on the offensive.

Raising his dagger to stab downward, the raven-haired youth found a strong grip suddenly holding his arm and the fabric on his chest, overpowering whatever strength his small and ravaged form had left.

Forcing the child's back against the wall, Kavar moved to rip the dagger from his hand, but he found his effort quickly became meaningless. Before he could even reach for it, the blade fell from the child's grasp.

Confused, Kavar looked into the child's eyes once again, just in time to see one small moment of recognition within them...

"Kai...?"

Young Lugo did not respond, could not respond, and his eyes fell closed as his body became limp within the Jedi Master's arms. He had lost too much blood...

"Kai... Kai!" Kavar yelled out, attempting to reach the child, to keep him conscious, to keep him alive. "Wake up! Kai!! Wake up!!"

- - -

Kai's eyes slowly opened as he awoke from the memory, finding his hand grasping at his chest where he still bared a slight discoloration from what had apparently been a wound from a bothan stunner; a wound that surprisingly had taken longer than the others to heal.

He truly remembered very little about that incident: a flash of the face of the Iridonian woman, a moment a pain upon being struck, though he could not remember by which weapon… perhaps all three...

Beyond that, it was all a blank, a moment in time that he could not remember being a part of. Nor could he clearly recall the events afterward, or even the face or name of the girl's mother who came to visit him while he recovered in the medical wing in Coruscant's temple, having spent a couple of days in a kolto tank while receiving blood transfusions.

It was soon after that that Master Kavar began training him in the use of a lightsaber, despite the protests of other Masters who thought the young boy still not ready for the weapon. However these protests were overlooked. Kai imagined it was rather important to the Master that he learn how to defend him self after what happened. He had not understood it at the time, but Kai realized now that the Kavar likely blamed himself for that incident.

Yet if what Quatra had told him was true, then perhaps the fault truly lied with Kai himself. In all honesty, the young Guardian had never though upon the incident as requiring someone to blame. As he saw it, he chose that fight, and only suffered because of his choice.

But perhaps that was only the perspective of someone who was so used to suffering that the reason mattered little to him. Or perhaps it was simply this second nature of his that prevented him from thinking on the reasons behind such things.

Whatever the case, the one point that bothered him the most about the memory, the one point he remembered more clearly then the rest, was the fact that he had attacked and wounded Master Kavar. Unintentionally yes, though he could only hope so since he could not remember the actual moment, but he could not defend such of thing despite this. This more than anything he had gone through during that period of forgotten memory bothered him…

He had never unintentionally hurt anyone before, and felt nothing but self-ridicule and shame for it. And never before had he anything other than himself to blame for it.

But now…

Was what Master Quatra had spoken of the real reason behind such moments in his life where he simply… acted? Was such a thing what saved him all those years, what made him capable of defending himself against that old man, what made him protect that little girl in the alleyway… what made him hurt one of the only people who showed him kindness?

And if it was… what could possibly be done about it? How does one fight an instinct to fight and survive? Such a thing was not like a bad habit, it could not be fought with sheer will, because it was his will, in its most primitive form. So… what was there to be done?

And more perplexing than that was something else he thought of. If he was being compelled by some instinct beyond his control to survive and persevere... well… why would such a thing drive him to help others at the risk of his own life? It didn't make sense…

Smiling sadly, Kai closed his eyes for a moment and shook the thoughts from his head. Such deep thinking and self-analyzing only seemed to irritate him. One thing that often annoyed him about his teachers was how they commonly lectured with strong words, hushed voices, and deep, meaningful pauses, as if everything they taught held such importance and power. It was probably one of the reasons why he was often accused of being so sarcastic.

It was late anyway, and he was tired, and also was not in the best of shape to think on such things, still sore from his match earlier. Whatever this instinct was that Quatra and apparently the other Masters accused him of having, he doubted it would cause him any problems on his way to bed…

He started back down the long hallway to his assigned quarters, anxious to get off his still aching right leg.

"Why couldn't he have been a little gentler?" the raven-haired Padawan muttered as he slightly limped along the way.

- - -

If the young Guardian had looked in the other direction of Master Quatra's chambers, he might have noticed a figure standing in the shadows, watching him silently for clues of what he was thinking and of what had occurred within that room.

As he had been instructed to do so…

Seeing the raven-haired Padawan was now beyond his sight, Reiko Vynn stepped forward into the light of the wall lamp, glaring at the wake of the young Guardian's direction.

After what his Master had told him, the young Apprentice believed without a doubt that this student was a threat, and now saw only underhanded intent within the young Guardian. For he was a danger to the Order, that was now beyond question. And perhaps he was already acting upon whatever insidious intent he had…

The copper-haired Padawan turned his gaze upon the door of Master Quatra's private chambers with disappointment reflected in his eyes. He expected better from a Jedi Master...

For him to be visiting her in the night... he could only imagine what such a thing could insinuate, though he was respective enough to refrain from imagining anything improper. Still... such association between this dangerous Padawan and one of the most important teachers of the Enclave begged many questions... and would likely demand many answers.

"You should be more careful of those you involve yourself with, Master Quatra..." Reiko muttered outloud to no one in particular.

"So should you..." came a response from behind.

Struck with panic by the voice from the dark, young Vynn quickly turned about to find the dark silhouette of someone no taller or older than him standing not three feet away.

"Who-"

The figure raised an open hand in his direction, signaling the invisible energies of the Force to close about Vynn's throat, effectively stealing his ability to speak or make any noise at all. Seemingly with little effort, the hidden individual proceeded to lift the copper-haired teenager off the ground and fling him against the side of the stone wall, all the while Reiko remained unable to scream, allowed just enough space left open in his throat to ensure that he did not suffocate.

"I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that Master Vrook sought to take his own steps in this matter..." Revan muttered passively as he walked out from the shadows up to Reiko. "I honestly hoped that he would be more trusting of this Padawan than he is of me... Kai at least seems more willing to conform to his one-sided views than I am, though I doubt he would be anymore successful with Lugo than he was in trying to teach me anything worth knowing... though I see his Apprentice still favors such singular mindedness. A pity..."

Reiko tried to yell out as he fought against Revan's Force Grip, but found his efforts did nothing to stir the Protege from his control. He was just too strong.

"I admit... I am just as interested in learning what it is that our raven-haired friend spoke of with the lovely, young Master..." Revan conceded as if Reiko had somehow asked it of him. "However... unlike Master Vrook, I am willing to let some uncertainties slide, for the sake of Master Quatra at least. However, even if I were to… convince you to keep your mouth shut about what you saw, I am fairly certain you wouldn't be able to keep what you know to yourself. Your mind is too exposed, Reiko, and it is one of the reasons I imagine Vrook chooses to suffer you..."

Revan lowered his arm a bit, causing Reiko to slide down the wall to where his feet almost touched the ground, bringing him eye level with his captor, who proceeded to step forward and place the palm of his hands on the boy's forehead.

"It is for the best that you forget this, Reiko Vynn. In that, I can assist you... I do request though that you don't try to resist too much, for your own sake. Reworking another's memory is a delicate procedure. Squirm too much, and I cannot be held accountable for what else you may forget..."

Reiko made one last attempt to scream out and fight back, but to no avail. And as he felt the talented Padawan's hand reach into his mind, all the Apprentice knew was an empty blackness, too frightened to attempt to resist.

"Wise choice, Reiko... wise choice..."

- - -

"In short, I take responsibility for what happened to Bandon," Nemo said in conclusion of retelling yesterday's incident before the Jedi Masters. "I had hoped he would prove himself more capable of controlling his emotions in such a heated moment… but clearly he was incapable of such restraint…"

"Clearly…" Vrook reiterated with disappointment evident in his tone, though whether it was meant in terms of the Padawan or directed at the elderly Knight, none but him knew. "We've already reviewed your written report on the incident, Nemo, and are aware that Bandon still has not reawaken from the head-trauma he suffered…"

"Yes, that's correct," Nemo confirmed with an undue sense of shame. "He has suffered no permanent injuries, but the medical team are not sure when he will awaken."

Master Vrook turned his eyes upon Vandar then, who nodded his consent.

"We've decided it best if Bandon is transferred to another facility to complete his training," Vrook stated indifferently, "Somewhere where he will not be so inclined to partake in aggressive acts…"

Somewhere far away from Revan and that other Padawan who had obtained his wrath is what the Master meant, they all knew it but none felt inclined to say.

"I understand," Nemo replied. "I will inform him once he has recuperated."

"No," Vrook interjected. "Waiting for him to awaken may prove… more problematic than is needed. We've already sent for a shuttle capable of transferring him while he remains unconscious. It will be arriving in the morrow."

"I see…" Nemo could not say he strongly approved of such a decision, but he more than understood the need to make it. "I hope he will find what he needs to overcome his aggressive nature then."

"As do we… you are dismissed, Nemo. May the Force be with you."

With that, Nemo gave a bow of respect before taking his leave.

For a moment, the Masters simply sat in silence, each of them feeling a sense of failure concerning the well-being of Bandon and his training as a Jedi.

He listened to the lectures. He completed the tasks of his training. He even meditated more than others, genuinely seeking his place among the Jedi. And yet, when the time came, when situations arose that truly put him to the test, his anger and aggression always won out against him. It seemed no matter how far they attempted to help put the shadows of his home world behind him, he could not forget the lessons it had taught him.

If only they had found him when he was younger…

"We should continue…" Vrook stated on behalf of everyone.

Quatra, who had been the quietest one since the council meeting had begun, knew that now was the time in which she would need to have the most voice. Kai would need her the most out of all the Masters, lest she resign him to a decision undeserved.

"As I'm sure everyone here is aware, yesterday there was... a most unusual form of disturbance within the Force. As far as we know, none beyond this Council were actively aware of it, which suggests possibly its deep-rooted nature." At this point, Vrook was simply laying the situation to bear, without taking a side or stating a personal opinion. Despite his constant pessimism and criticism, perhaps he was not one to jump so quickly to conclusions as Master Quatra had thought he would.

"From what has been brought forth, we believe this... echo to have originated from the Padawan Kai Lugo. Master Quatra," Vrook looked over to the woman as she sat at the far left end of the congregation to his right. "I hope you are able to enlighten us more in this matter..."

"I was attending to a class on the Dantooine Slopes when the incident occurred, Vrook," Quatra calmly responded. "I immediately returned when I felt the echo, and found the Padawan in the midst of... a training exercise with Revan."

It was evident that the mention of the name caught particular attention from all the other Masters, save Vrook who seemed unsurprised by the announcement.

"From what I was able to gather from the other students," Quatra continued, "Kai was originally being goaded by Bandon into a training match. Apparently they had a confrontation earlier concerning an incident involving the Initiate Mical, though it was ended without violence from what gathered. Regardless, as Nemo has confirmed, Revan partook of the match instead, and afterward challenged Kai as well. They were nearing the end of their training exercise when I managed to arrive and stopped them."

"Interesting..." Master Vandar remarked as his eyes drifted off for a moment. "Did you perchance notice anything peculiar from what you saw of their training match."

"I... ended it no sooner then I arrived." Quatra responded as she she to think on the moment a little more, looking for anything particular that she might have overlooked. "It would have been improper to have let them continue as they were; both being quite injured from what I-"

"-Injured?" Master Zhar interrupted with a tone of disbelief. "Kai... actually managed to injure Revan?"

"I... do not know the exact circumstances as to what happened during their match," Quatra calmly responded. "But when I arrived, Revan was bleeding from the mouth and hunched over, grasping at his chest. I imagine he suffered quite a blow for him to need to initiated a Healing Meditation right after I intervened."

"The result of overconfident recklessness, I assure you..."

All the eyes of the Masters immediately turned forward at the sudden presence of an unknown party.

Stepping forth into the council room, Revan calmly approached the congregation, placing himself comfortably center of them. "I apologize for this interruption, Masters."

"You were not summoned, Padawan Revan," Vrook immediately spoke up, attempting to hide his indignation at the student's sudden presence. "Leave here immediately."

"Forgive me, Master Vrook," Revan responded as if not hearing the undertone in the elderly man's voice. "But I was unable to schedule a proper audience with the Council during this meeting. As such, I felt it best simply to bring my... input into this matter directly to you, rather than waiting."

Surprisingly enough, it was Master Quatra who spoke next. "If we believe you have anything to add in matters of concern to us, Padawan, then _we_ shall see that you are given the chance to share your perspective. Until such is decided by us, however, your presence is not required here, Revan. Please leave immediately..."

It was not often that Quatra spoke in such a strong tone amidst the other councilmembers, and it was less often that she said anything that so firmly supported Master Vrook's own sentiments. Yet only Revan and herself knew exactly where such strong sentiment stemmed...

"I would think that me actually being present with the training grounds when the echo first occurred would make my testimony quite relevant... Master Quatra..."

The room fell silent then. Until now, none but the Masters seemed to know of the incident, and they had few suspicions of why. But apparently they were not the only ones who had noticed it...

"Leave now, Padawan," Master Quatra restated with more zest in her command.

"Hold, Quatra," Master Vandar interjected, much to the woman's disdain. "Revan... do you know something of what happened?"

"Little, Master Vandar," the Protégé humbly responded, "The exact nature of whatever that presence was, I am not certain. Pain, suffering: I could hear these things ever so strongly rolling off Kai like a symphony; one so loud that it made it hard to hear anything else for a moment…"

Though they attempted to hide it, Revan's words clearly had an impact on some of the Council members, causing them a slight wave of uncertainty and anxiety that they quickly suppressed.

"We are aware of this, Padawan," Vrook interjected, not wanting to think upon this point anymore than he knew the other Masters did. "What we desire to know is the cause…"

"Well, I can't tell you that of certain, Master Vrook," Revan responded with a helpless expression. "However at the time, I recall Bandon was throwing insults at Lugo after he refused to partake in a little friendly competition."

"Insults…?" Master Quatra echoed, "What kind of insults?"

Revan shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing particular that I would have thought would have had as strong an affect as it did. He ignored the taunts for the most part, though I do remember that it was when Bandon called him something along the lines of 'trash and filth' that Kai finally seemed to hear his words. It caused quite a visible reaction within him, as well as possibly sprouted the less visible one…"

A flash of recognition seemed to come over the Masters then, one that the young Protégé was able to observe. His brow became crooked with intrigue. "From how he seemed to drift off upon hearing it, I wondered if perhaps it was nostalgia that filled him rather than pride and anger… I wouldn't know though, since I am not privy to his personal records… Is there possibly some reason why this would have caused that echo that we felt?"

"Enough, Revan," Quatra spoke up when it seemed none of the other Masters were going to. "I don't know what possible interest you might have in Kai Lugo, but as before, you are overstepping your bounds in matters that don't concern you… as you did when you engaged him in a training match…"

"If you are insinuating that part of the reason I challenged him was because I sought to study him a bit more closely…" Revan responded indifferently, "… then yes, you are correct. It is my inquisitive nature, I'm afraid… Admittedly, my other reason was my interest in seeing the combat expertise of one of Master Kavar's pupils. Quite impressive, from what I saw and felt… I'll have to tell Squint the next time I see him… He'll likely desire some training from him as well…"

"Is there anything else, Revan?" Vrook interjected rather forcefully, to the point where it sound as though he was accusing the Padawan of hiding something. "Did you perhaps notice anything out of the ordinary during you match that should be brought to our attention...?"

He paused then, like he expected the level-headed teenager to break under his interrogative tone.

"You mean the fact that Kai was successful in using the Force Warp technique?"

"What?" Master Zhar spoke up amongst the shocked looks that the boy's remark received from the council. "Impossible... you must be mistaken, Revan. Padawan Lugo's affinity with the Force is... mediocre at best. Such a technique is well beyond his years... or skill-level..."

"I would have thought so too, Master, if I had not experienced the end-result myself... When I asked, he called his successful attempt nothing more than a fluke, which is perfectly reasonable considering he was not able to control it for more than a moment... In fact, I believe it ended up hurting him more than it did me... still, it speaks highly of his endurance for pain... or perhaps more of what he is able to achieve in order to survive..."

"That's enough, Revan!" Quatra commanded with surprising force within her voice. "I don't know what your motives are in watching Kai, and I don't care. Padawan Lugo is under my sovereignty, and therefore is my responsibility."

"Indeed?" The auburn-haired Protégé remarked as though amazed. "Then I suppose I am wasting my breath and your time here, Master Quatra: speaking to you of things you already know… I do apologize…"

At that moment, more than one Master turned their eyes upon the woman with uncertainty.

"You are not to come near him again while he is under my supervision, understand?"

Revan could not say he appreciated being commanded as though he were a disobedient child, but kept such distaste to himself. "As you wish, Master Quatra. I will leave you to your deliberations then, as you know doubt have many things to speak on…"

With that, the young teenager turned center of the council, made a respectful bow, and started for the exit.

This was not how Quatra had intended for this conversation to go, with so much laid out before the other Masters all at once… She could only imagine how such revelations affected their opinions.

"One last thing, Masters…" Revan turned back about just before he disappeared beyond the entryway. "It might possibly be nothing in particular… but Kai seems to have taken an interest in another student: Mical, I think… It is interesting to note that in the little time that he and Kai have known each other, the youngling's combat finesse has grown at an extraordinary rate… Almost seems unnatural to me… but that's just my two credits on the matter… probably nothing…"

As the brown-eyed Padawan moved out of her sight, Quatra suddenly noticed how hard her hands were clenching the armrests of her seat. Why had he added more fuel to a blaze that would soon be beyond her ability to control?

"So... it seems the Padawan's unique abilities are not as dormant as we hoped..." Master Dorak remarked as an unbiased observation.

"If anything... we should take this as a sign that they are getting stronger," Vandar added. "For him to be able to achieve the level of control needed for such advance techniques... it suggests an ability that stems beyond sheer survival..."

"I do not feel that such a thing should be our main focus right now," suggested Master Zhar. "Our concern should lie more in his... influence on others. From what Revan has suggested, it seems the Padawan has already made an attachment..."

"I would think that beyond question now," Vrook imposed, his usual cynical tone having returned to him. "We allowed him to intermingle with the others while knowing the consequences of what would happened. We cannot be surprised that it has. What we must now concern ourselves with is the possible consequences of it, and how we must act in response."

"Consequences...?" Quatra echoed with distaste for how the word seemed to imply ill-nature. "So far, all that we can confirm as a consequence is that Mical has learned to harness his combat abilities. Are we to judge Kai as insidious for helping to teach a fellow student?"

"Did he truly teach the youngling? Or did he perhaps simply... mold him more into his own image?" Vrook countered as though Quatra was overlooking the issue entirely. "If Lugo's ability has befallen the boy, we have no reason to think it will stop with mere combat exercises. It may lead to other more alarming forms of imprinting; ones like that which make a young boy brutally kill three people and injure a Master..."

The thought of Kavar's report on that incident entered the minds of the council members like a dark presence, one that could not be ignored and forcing all of them silent for a moment.

Master Quatra let out a heavy sigh, finding that is was hard for her to move past the image it placed in her mind, and knowing the same was probably true for the other Masters. Kavar had been rather specific about the state he found that alleyway in...

"Do you think perhaps that these abilities of his are not separate, but rather simply different faces to the same whole?" Master Zhar spoke his thoughts out loud. "His connections to others, his instinct to fight and survive... the echo we felt... could they all be related in some way we have not considered?"

The congregation was silent as they each entertained their own thoughts on the possibility. While it did not truly sound so far-fetched, it was mere speculation on something they did not understand in the least. At this point, saying whether Kai's abilities were all unique and separate of each other, or whether they had a commonality they did not see was unimportant.

"As of now, all we do know is that they are all tied to Lugo in some way," Master Vrook answered when no one else responded, then turned a suspicious eye upon the young woman among them. "However, I imagine that perhaps you might be able to enlighten us further, so as we will not need for a mere Padawan to roguishly intervene."

Taking a moment to sort her thoughts and think of the best way to handle the situation Revan had dropped upon her, Quatra slowly found her voice. "I have not been keeping anything from the rest of the Council, Master Vrook, despite what Revan has said. I simply chose to wait to bring these matters to your attention in the hopes of learning more about them beforehand, as to avoid us having to take any unknowledgeable actions…"

The other Masters sensed no deception with her, and truly there was none, despite the fact that she was bending the truth a bit… But as far as they needed to know, yesterday was the first time any of them had felt the echo whilst on Dantooine… and that they were the only ones who felt it…

"Everything that Revan spoke of, I was prepared to reveal. Therefore, for Padawan Kai's sake, I suggest we move past suspicion…" Quatra quite directly eyed Master Vrook right then.

As unsure of Quatra's intentions as he was, the elder Master's practical side saw the wisdom in her words, causing his expression to soften a bit as he nodded in consent. "Very well, Master Quatra. Tell us what it is you've observed."

"Firstly," Quatra readily responded. "I had spoken with many of the students that were present at the training grounds during the entire incident with Bandon, Revan, and Kai. None of them seemed to know anything about the echo we felt."

"What of Mical?" Master Dorak interjected. "If Kai has formed a connection with the youngling, it would be sensible that he might have felt it."

"I… do not believe so…" Quatra answered. "Mical's connection to the Force is still unfocused. He made no indication of noticing anything unusual, so I am inclined to think that he did not experience it. And as none of the other Padawans or Knights have come forward about it, it is probably safe to assume that they did not sense it either, with the exception of Revan… but he is a unique case…"

"Strange…" Master Vandar passively commented. "I remember the echo from when I first spoke with the boy. His mind was racing with the thoughts of the younglings he tended to… and all they would suffer in his absence… It seemed in his nature to care for others; A rare quality in one so young… As for this sensation, it was not nearly at this level of intensity… which means there must be a reason that it is becoming stronger…"

"Time is perhaps the answer to that," Vrook responded. "Despite his rather general affinity with the Force, his training has no doubt helped to focus and strengthen his abilities, and perhaps whatever this thing is as well..."

"I am not so convinced that it is his training that has intensified it," Zhar countered, "Our teachings are meant to show our students the way to clear their minds and allow them to learn control from that clarity. Yet this sensation seemed completely contradictory to such. If anything, should not the Padawan's training have provided a means for weakening it?"

A valid point, and one that none of the Masters were quick to overlook. If this sensation originally stemmed from Kai as they suspected, then his training should have been a means through which it would become weaker...

And yet it wasn't...

It was stronger... Much stronger...

"Then perhaps it does not truly stem from him..." Master Quatra muttered, gaining the attention of the other Council Members. "We've have already seen the evidence that the Padawan ties much of himself into the lives of others..."

It was something that even Master Vrook could not deny...

"What if... this sensation we felt was a result of those connections..."

"What do you mean, Master Quatra," Dorak remarked for his sake as well as that of the other Masters.

"At first, when I heard the echo, I thought it to be a singular entity," the young Master went on to clarify. "And it was... overwhelming to say the least. A roaring current of pain and suffering... it was difficult to feel much else when it fell upon me..."

The other Masters managed to avoid letting their eyes flash with the recognition they all felt. As deep of an impact as the experience had had on them, none among them felt it important enough to currently discuss, or simply they did not desire to dwell on it.

"However," Quatra continued, "I attempted to study it while I could. And as I listened more closely, I realized that it was not singular in nature... It's a chorus. Dozens of voices, rising up in a symphony of agony..."

The young Master stumbled in her voice, closing her eyes and clutching at her temple for a moment, seemingly having difficulty in speaking of her recollection. And none of the other Master could blame her. As the pinnacle of the Order, every one of them had spent the better part of their lives training themselves against such powerful emotions; to disconnect themselves from the influence of pain, anger, and suffering...

It was rather unnerving for even the eldest among them to be exposed to such a strong example of all they tried to detach themselves from...

It also provided an adequate means for Quatra to stretch the truth of when she had first felt the echo...

And as for what the young woman spoke of, Master Vrook was far from convinced. "A culmination of voices screaming out in pain... If that is truly the essence of what we felt, where could such a thing have stemmed from? And why would it be within the boy now?"

"Isn't that obvious, Master Vrook..." Quatra replied, genuinely surprised that she needed to explain it. "He spent his entire childhood fighting a losing battle... Yet no matter how much he suffered because of it, he could not turn away from those who needed his help... Because he could not place their suffering out of his mind..."

It took a moment for the point of her words to sink into the minds of the more skeptical Masters than it did the others.

"That's... not possible..." Vrook muttered with only uncertainty in his voice. "To claim such a thing... what proof do you have?"

What proof did she need, Quatra quietly thought to herself? Was such a thing so hard for him to accept, or did Vrook simply think her so naïve that he needed to question her on every level. "My proof is in the fact that it is the only explanation that I was able to reach, and the only one that anyone here currently has to consider. Unless you have an answer to the matter that you've yet to share, Master Vrook..."

It was perhaps the first time in speaking with the young woman that the elder Master found he had nothing to respond with... And he did not like that...

"That does not seem consistent, Master Quatra," Dorak replied in turn. "We've already made note of the boy's unusual talent for survival. Why would he then endure such a thing that would only bring harm to him?"

"Because… he has no choice, Master Dorak," Quatra calmly replied, managing to hide how disheartening it was for her to say such a thing; to admit that young Kai was fated to his suffering... "And because he has no choice, all he could do was learn how to live with it... Which I believe sparked the abilities we've seen thus far. Without his survival instinct, I have no doubt that he would have been consumed by this presence within him a long time ago... It protected him; gave him the means for taking care of those who needed his help. And…" She looked directly upon Vandar, "perhaps even led him to those who could help him when he needed it the most…"

The little green alien simply looked back upon the woman, his gaze showing him to be deeply contemplating her words.

"Him, him, him…" Vrook muttered almost sounding in ridicule. "Unexplainable abilities… abnormal happenings… and a mass of pain and agony… so much surrounds this one, it is a wonder that he does not become lost in the mist of it all…"

Quatra would have mistaken the elder Jedi's words for sympathy if she did not know he was simply making an observation.

"Master Vandar," the aged man called out to his senior, one of the few individuals he always addressed with respect. "Regardless of the reasons behind this presence, whether they are as Quatra suggests or something else entirely, if what we have felt yesterday was indeed stronger than the instance of it you recall from Coruscant, then we have every reason to believe that it will continue to grow stronger, to the point that it may become a danger to the Knights and even the Padawans if left unchecked…"

He spoke decisively as though already understanding all that was needed to be known about the situation, and ready to deal with it as necessary. His words did ring with enough truth that none were quick to dismiss them.

"Therefore, until we are presented with more options, or hopefully more clarity in the matter, I see only two courses of action to ensure the immediate safety of our students…" Vrook calmly replied.

"And those are…" Quatra lead in, quite sure she was not going to like what he had to say.

"The first: return him to Coruscant," Vrook answered, "As the incident in the training grounds suggests, interaction with others seems to be the catalyst for this anomaly, while his time in isolation has been without disaster…"

His suggestion was reasonable, so much so that it almost overshadowed the fact of how unfair it would be to do such a thing to Kai. Not cruel perhaps, but certainly unfair…

"And your second proposal, Master Vrook," Vandar asked?

The elder Master hesitated, and it caught Quatra's attention in particular. As certain as he sounded a moment ago, for him to be hesitant now was unexpected…

What could he possibly be hesitant to say…?

…

…

Quatra's eyes went wide and she immediately jumped to her feet as the answer came to her. "Absolutely not!"

"Master Quatra, please calm yourself," Master Zhar consoled the woman, surprised as many of them were by her sudden outburst. "Please allow Vrook to speak."

"I will not hear it!" the young Master replied with clear outrage in her voice. "To even think of it in these regards… It is a punishment we would only consider for a fallen Jedi as a last resort! So I will not discuss or even humor the thought of doing such a thing to Lugo!"

The three other Masters then realized what it was that she spoke of, and each of them turned to look upon the fourth, perhaps not as outraged as Quatra visibly was, but certainly surprised.

"Master Vrook," Vandar called out to the elderly man. "Do you truly believe we should consider such a thing?"

"I believe we should consider every possible course of action," Vrook calmly replied, unfettered by the glares he was receiving, even the one that was much darker than the rest. "And in such a dire situation, should we not consider the most extreme possible decisions, no matter how much we may hold such action in disdain?"

Quatra's glare did not relinquish. Always the sensible one… always the unbiased pragmatist… How could either be true of this elder Padawan who could imagine doing such a horrid thing to one of their own students?

"Master Quatra… please sit down…" Master Vandar calmly called out to the woman. The young Master was almost surprised to find herself standing, not thinking herself one who commonly reacted so aggressively in even her most emotional times. Quietly she retook her seat.

"… And know that I agree completely with her in this matter…" the little green alien went on to say bluntly, much to the surprise of everyone else there. "Such an act would be and always has been a punishment, no matter how dire the situation... And despite the implications of what we have experienced, we must never forget that young Kai has no knowledge of any of this, so we have no right to take action as if he need bare responsibility for his situation; a responsibility that we took upon ourselves when we became his guardians and teachers. For us to speak as though we have the right to decide his fate because of our own misgivings would be as unforgivable an act as would be deciding whether the boy, this innocent youth, should be cut off from the Force because of them. Therefore… we will not open the gates for considering such action upon the Padawan. Nor will we take any other action upon him. As of now, this… anomaly is not a threat upon the students and knights, and we will not view it as one until we have proof otherwise…"

The knowledge she withheld from her peers of what happened to her students on the outer slopes of Dantooine flickered for a moment within the mind of young Master Quatra, but fortunately she managed to keep it silent enough for the other Masters not to notice. She was not proud for being the bearer of such secrets, but she gladly did so for young Kai's sake.

As for the other Masters, what else was there to say? There was no hole within Vandar's statements for which they could make a claim. And despite the apparent skepticism among some of them, it was the Head of the Enclave's decision in the end.

"Kai will be returning with Atris once she has completed her studies, as was planned," Vandar finalized the matter, "Until then, we shall only seek to learn from what we see of his abilities. Nothing more… Now… there are other concerns we must discuss here today…"

And so the matter was brought to a close, for now. The calm face Master Quatra had upon her hardly fit the amount of relief she felt. After Revan's blunt remarks, she feared the other Master's would have been too overwhelmed by his statements to see beyond them.

Fortunately, it seemed whatever Revan had intended to happen had not occurred…

- - -

It was a technique that any other Master of the Order would not have looked favorably on for a Padawan to know. To teach a mere student such an ability would have been viewed as reckless in their eyes. And in most cases, they would have been correct.

But Revan was not most cases…

Nor was the Master who taught it to him...

To make his presence so small as to go unnoticed; to cloud his ambience within the Force, so carefully, so completely, as to allow him to stand on the other side of the wall next to the doorway to the Council Chamber and remained unseen by the gathering of Masters as they conversed…

And the young Protégé was pleased by what he had heard…

While he would have preferred leaving the matter of Padawan Lugo's fate within the hands of Master Quatra, he knew that to do so would have undoubtedly led to the end of the enigmatic Padawan's place within the Order…

If they had been allowed to think upon all that had happened with true clarity, then they would have discovered what it was that he managed to hide from them…

If they had thought more upon how Kai managed to perform the Force Warp technique without him being there to reinforce it as a fluke, they perhaps would have realized the truth, as Revan himself came to realize it not soon after it happened, and then there would be no doubt within the Council whether they should have cut the young Guardian off from the Force…

At first, Revan had accepted Kai's answer, as it was the one that he himself truly believed: that it was simply a fluke… An incredibly lucky attempt at something that should have ended in failure…

Revan realized soon after how wrong that conclusion was…

Such a technique required several factors to use: power, control, and above all else, experience…

And when it came to using the Force, Kai Lugo had very little of any of these…

A fluke: an unexpected success at something that could only happen under the best of circumstances.

Under Kai's best circumstances, there was still no way that he could have emulated that ability…

And Revan found himself for sometime without an answer. How could someone of Kai's affinity with the Force use a technique that was so far beyond him…

…

…

And then the Protégé determined the answer. Through considering all the possibilities of the strange abilities Kai Lugo was known to have, Revan came to the only conclusion that made sense; the conclusion the Council would have reached had they been allowed to think upon the matter clearly…

He… had stolen the ability from Revan…

It was almost unfathomable, almost something that any Master would have considered an impossibility. But as Revan thought upon it more, he realized it to be the truth.

By some unknown means that Kai himself was completely unaware of, the young Guardian had managed to steal the Force Warp technique from him: power, control, experience and all…

Master Vandar had once told Revan when he was in his first year of the Order that using techniques within the Force was an art form. And as there were no two people in the galaxy who were completely the same, there were no two people who could manipulate the Force in the exact same way. Ask two painters to draw a canvas of the same sky, and they will still always be different…

Kai Lugo may be the first Force User who broke that philosophy, and the danger that presented was something the Council would not be able to ignore.

At this point, the raven-haired Padawan did not know what it was that he had, nor the implications. He had only managed to emulate Revan's technique, not learn it, but given enough time, the brown-eyed Revan knew that Lugo's ability would eventually bridge that gap, to where he would possibly be able to take the strength of any adversary he faced upon himself.

…Revan was reminded of something his first Master had taught him: That the amount of power a Jedi has is only equal to the amount of responsibility they have as well.

And from the potential he now saw within Kai's abilities, he knew that the Council would not have allowed him to continue down the road that he was on, lest they risk him stealing from their abilities as well, becoming empowered with strength that was not truly his…

…They would have cut him off from the Force to prevent it… and Revan could not allow that to happen…

Fortunately, his interference seemed to have succeeded in making the gathering of Masters overlook the point entirely, and in the end it appeared Kai's place within the Order was still secure for now.

"You owe me again, Lugo…" Revan muttered quietly to himself with a mischievous smile. "I'm more interested in your other abilities right now though. So... Let's see exactly how far they can take you…"


	8. Chapter 8

The slight beeps of the datapad as she typed in her notes.

The blowing of the wind.

The chirping of a flock of birds.

The rustling of the vegetation.

These were the sounds that fell upon the young Echani Knight's ears as she went about another day of studying over the ruins outside the Enclave. And they were not enough.

Something was missing. She did not know why she felt as she did or what it was she believed was not present. But something was not as is it was supposed to be.

The young girl turned to eye her only companion on those grassy slopes, who quietly sat where he had for the last few days on the nearby hill. Only this time, rather than simply lying upon the ground with his mind far from his responsibilities, he sat with one knee raised, gazing emptily upon the datapad that laid upon his limb.

Atris realized then that whatever it was that she felt was missing was because of him. He was… quiet, and not in the same way he usually was. This time was different, eerie, unnatural… The way he stared blankly, his half-opened eyes shifting from left to right as he slowly worked down the pages of the datapad she had given him this morning in preparation for helping her with the lesson's she was set to give later today. The absent expression that filled his face, which Atris had first thought reflected mere boredom, the young Knight saw now was the sign of exhaustion.

Kai was tired. Drained of strength by some anomaly or struggle that he was keeping to himself. And for one like the raven-haired Padawan, who was more vocal about his state of mind through the Force than most others, the lack of feeling he commonly radiated was evident to the clairvoyant Historian.

Something was bothering him…

That was what Atris found unsettling, and the fact that she did surprised her. As much as she disapproved of his overly emotional personality, she found that the absence of such bothered her even more. Had she grown used to it over the years? Like the pilot who lived everyday with the rumble of the hyperdrive, or the mechanic who surrounded himself continuously with the humming of machines. For such people, not hearing these sounds meant that something was amiss. And right, something did not sound right with Kai.

The hour was becoming late in the day and once again Atris found her appetite taking precedence over her ability to concentrate. Typing a final thought into her record before shutting it off, the young Historian proceeded to walk up to the satchel next to Lugo and remove her meal case, all the while he paid her no heed.

As per their earlier agreement, Atris took to sitting on the grass beside her Guardian. And still, he did not so much as shift his eyes to acknowledge her. Could he simply be that entrenched with her instructions? So much so that it left him with a grim expression of unease whilst his eyes seemed to stare beyond the datapad before them?

Taking a bite from a nutrient bar, Atris attempted to place her companion out of her mind. For all she needed to care, he was simply keeping his side of their bargain in remaining silent. It should matter not her that he was troubled…

…

…

… He was irresponsible, always intermingling in affairs that did not concern him… always causing trouble in his attempts to support others when he should be seeking to better improve his own position so as to actually get somewhere within the Order, instead of going on as an outcast of a Padawan with no prospect of being granted a Master…

He brought whatever misery infesting him upon himself…

…

…

…But if this continued, it would most likely cause her even further aggravation in her work, and she could not allow that to happen. Nor did she desire him preoccupied while he assisted her later today.

And also… she found it a little unsettling for him to be like this…

"You are letting yourself be distracted, Kai."

The Guardian looked over to the young Knight then, perhaps noticing her presence for the first time since she sat beside him. His expression remained unchanged in its passivity as he gazed upon her for a moment before turning back towards the datapad.

"Tell me what is troubling you."

Atris was not one who partook of subtle approaches in matters, ironically making her quite effective as a Historian and researcher, but Kai felt it also stripped her of what would be considered common social graces and consideration for the feelings of others.

"Do you really want to know, Atris?" Kai answered evenly, skeptical of his companion's intent. "Or am I simply being a nuisance to you?"

The young Knight regarded her subordinate evenly, studying his eyes as he looked back upon her. While they bared no anger or aggression, she could sense his accusation.

"I am being practical, Padawan," she responded in a calm tone. "I need you ready and alert, as will the students you are going to be tending. You are neither of those things right now, and that concerns me."

Practical… is that all she was? Is that all she ever was?

"Why did you become a Jedi?"

Atris stared blankly at the teenage boy, so caught off guard by the question. "What?"

"Why did you become a Jedi?"

Her voice felt stuck within her throat as her mind raced to find a response. The young Historian thought herself well-adept in handling unfamiliar situations with a calm outlook and a bit of reason, but this… this was intimate, personal, and beyond her experience or training to defend herself against.

Perhaps she would have recognized the pattern of uncertainty leading to aggression had it occurred in the presence of any other. With Kai though... she was never able to see things as clearly as she could with anyone else… Never able to feel as calm as she was with anyone else…

"You have no right to ask such a thing of me, Padawan."

Why did she make it a habit to call him Padawan whenever she could? Was it so uncomfortable for her to use his name? Or did she just detest him that much?

"You complicate things. You always have! Now to ask me such an irrelevant question… I do not know what troubles you, but I will not-"

"-It is not irrelevant to me," Kai interjected in a tone bordering on anger as he stared hard at the young woman. "You may not like me, Atris. You may think that I will be nothing more than another failure in the long line of failed Padawans that have wasted the Order's time… but right now, I've got a lot on my mind, and you may be the only person I feel I can speak to about this. So if you really desire to help this pathetic little Padawan, I'm sorry to say it will require you telling me something about yourself. If that's asking too much… then place it, and me, out of mind…"

With that, Kai slowly looked back towards the datapad in his hand, leaving Atris dumbfounded as she stared at him.

He had never spoken like that in front of her before… Never shown her how serious and empowered he could really be…

She looked away from him, baffled at what to say. Should she answer him? Why? It had nothing to do with him and he had no right to think otherwise! And…

…

Being a Jedi was what she was. It was all that she wanted to be. And… the reasons for that were not something she commonly thought upon in depth.

As Atris understood it, with most Force-Sensitive children the prospect of becoming a Jedi is not appealing compared to the sacrifice of having to leave their parents and loved ones. But for her…

For ten whole minutes, the silence between the pair of teenagers lingered on. Kai kept vigilant in his study of Atris' notes, which seemed more a review document for the young Guardian on basic teachings rather than directions on what to do. All the while, the Historian sat quietly next to him, nibbling here and there at her food, all the while her eyes remained downward, her thoughts wrestling with eachother, refusing to make a choice…

And then…

"You were a thief as a child, Kai…"

Lugo once again turned to look upon the Echani Knight, but now with eyes both attentive and a bit wide from being taken aback. He had not expected her to speak to him the rest of the outing, nor use his name in what was not an accusation filled tone. For once, she spoke to him evenly.

Atris' eyes remained still as they gazed down the slope of the hill. Her expression: melancholic and empty, appearing to be slightly pained by whatever thoughts she amused. If this was not a first for her to show such an expression, it was certainly a first for Kai to see it.

"I do not know what kind of life you lived in Coruscant's depths. But I remember where we found you… what you looked like…"

How much Kai wished she would forget that image of him. He wished everyone would forget it…

"So perhaps you understand what it means to have a life where you feel as though you have nothing worth living for… Where even death could sound like a favorable means of escape…"

What was she speaking of? The young Guardian strained to keep his face from twisting in disbelief and confusion, almost unable to believe that this was Atris who was speaking to him of emotions; something that were supposed to be insignificant to the Jedi, to her.

More so, she spoke of feelings he knew all too well from the thousands of time they had dominated his thoughts, consumed his days and nights with restless hours filled with emptiness, despair, and self-pity.

That sense of worthlessness, of not desiring to live… It was hard for Lugo to expect the pragmatic Echani Knight knew what it was like. But then again, how could he have known what to expect from her? She never spoke of herself - never made one single remark in his presence that identified her as an individual. Everything she said and did was always focused on her role as a Jedi.

"My father… was a politician. My mother: a socialite…" She spat her words in clear disdain and disgust. "Superficial liars who knew only wealth and glamour, and nothing of ideals, devotion, or purpose…"

Kai's reception of the Historian's words was perhaps not what she intended. Parents were an unfamiliar concept for the young Guardian, and one he had not thought upon as much as others might have expected him to have whilst growing up in the Coruscant Depths.

A child with parents was a rare finding in the dark alleys of that forgotten deluge of stone, metal and rot. After all, what self-respecting parent would willingly have raised their child in such a forsaken place?

Of course, in those rare times where Kai had thought upon the matter with more interest, his questions had been much like any other child who had not known their parents. Who were they? Where were they from? What did they look like? Were they good people? Was either of them still alive? If so, why would they have left him in such a place? What would they have named him?

Not to his surprise, Kai never received an answer for any of his questions.

Judging from her own reactions to the topic, perhaps having parents was not always as validating as the young Guardian often thought it was. "How did they feel about you joining the Jedi?"

"I am unsure. I didn't inform them of it."

Kai must have heard her wrong - Very wrong. "I beg your pardon?"

--

"My Lady! Please come back!"

The voice of the screaming servant was all but a distant echo within the little girl's ears as she ran as fast as she could through the crowded streets, her expensive and primed clothes getting dirtied and torn as she pushed her way through the flowing herds of people who paid her no heed.

She could not accept it any longer! All her years as a child she had hung upon the faint hope that on some level they had truly cared for her, truly loved her. But she saw now that that hope was a lie. It was always a lie!

Today was to be a special day for the young child. Today she was going to see her mother again after so many months! How happy she had been because of it. Though she knew that it was simply another social event where the high-classes of the city would strut about their children like trophies, bragging about them like pet-owners showing off their well-groomed and disciplined animals, the little girl had not cared. The mere fact that her mother had wanted her there, that she would get to spend time with her, overweighed any sense of self-degradation she might have had.

It had been so long since she last heard from her mother. Even longer since her father had last made contact with her. And in that time the only company she knew was that of the servants and teachers that filled their massive, expensive home on some isolated corner of the planet.

Being waited on by people too afraid to get close to her, too afraid to talk to her like a person instead of like a noble and master…

And then not a week before now her mother had sent word to her, telling her to come to the social gathering where they would meet and spend the day together – the whole day!

She had prepared for the day like it was the most important one of her life: choosing her best dress, practicing her etiquette and social graces with renewed vigor, and all the time waiting with barely contained anticipation.

And then the day arrived, and she set out with her chauffer with precise punctuality. She had not known such happiness in such a long time…

But then, as they were on route to the rendezvous, the young child received a holovid message from her mother.

"The event has been cancelled," she said. "You do not need to come."

And with those words, all the happiness the child had felt was torn from her. Cancelled? After she had waited all these months to see her mother again, to be by her side, to talk to her… the event – the entire day was cancelled!?

It was not fair. It WAS NOT FAIR!!

Tears welted up within the little girl's eyes as she clasped her legs to her chest, burying her face in her knees. Her chauffer, apparently having heard the message as well, drove the enclosed speeder out of the skyway route and brought it to rest on a road between several towering skyscrapers, waiting for an opening in the route that would take them back in direction of the estate, never acknowledging for a second that he could hear the child in the seat behind him crying her eyes out.

Her mother's message went on for about a minute or so, though the little girl could not make any of it out over the sound of her own weeping. It was only at the end of the recording that the child heard her mother's final words to her.

"I don't need you anymore…"

…

…

"I don't need you anymore…" That was what she had said. That was what a mother had said to her own daughter. Her daughter that wanted to see her more than anything else…

Her mother did not need her…

The child's tears stopped then. Her legs fell back down limply to the speeder floor. Her eyes were red and dry, but remained opened wide as she stared blankly at the holo-emitter where her mother's image had stood a moment earlier.

She remained still and quiet, her breathing too faint for even her to hear…

Her mother did not need her…

Something inside the child… broke right then. It was not just that sense of hope that her parents actually cared for her. It was something more. She felt it shatter like glass, broken into millions of tiny pieces, and in its place, a hollow void…

She could not think. She could not comprehend anything; not even as she opened the side door and ran out of the speeder as fast as she could.

She had no idea where she was; no idea where she was going. She just needed to run as fast as she could, so fast that it hurt. Faces blurred by as she ran past them. She did not want them to see her. She did not want to see them.

She ran and ran and kept on running until the faces stopped appearing around her and her legs could no longer allow her to move so fast. Her feet were now blistered, her dress shoes not meant for such activity. She cared not, barely registering the pain as she limped over to rest on the side of some rundown building, attempting to catch her breath.

She had been running for so long that it was already getting dark. She took a moment to look about her, finding herself alone in the middle of what looked to be an abandoned part of a city. A cold breeze brushed by her, sending a deep chill through her worn and tired body.

She was now alone, with no way to contact anyone she knew, no way to stay warm, no food to satisfy her hunger, and no idea where she was.

Nobody needed her anymore, so what did it matter…

Ineloquently, the child collapsed down on the side of the building, once again pulling her legs into her chest and burying her face in her knees. Closing her eyes, she wanted to go to sleep.

Perhaps she would wake up and find that this whole day had been one long nightmare, that she was safely in her room at the estate and her mother had never said those things to her…

But the cold wind was too real to be a dream…

And so was the voice that soon followed.

"You're a hard one to catch up with, child…"

The girl's head popped up from her knees and her eyes immediately fell upon the robed female figure standing a respective distance away from her.

The child remained silent as the figure slowly stepped forward to allow a nearby wall light to illuminate her features. She was a young woman, no more than in her early twenties. With deep blue eyes, long hair of whitish-gray with robes of similar colorings, and shapely facial features, she was very beautiful. She looked down upon the child with those compassionate, blue eyes as she stood silently.

"Leave me be," the little girl commanded as she sat there upon the ground, her arms still hugging her legs. "I don't have any credits with me, so just go away."

"I didn't follow you in order to rob you, youngling," the robed woman explained calmly. "I happened to be passing by when I saw you running through the streets. I was worried that perhaps someone was after you."

"You can save your worries then, stranger. No one is after me." The little girl rested her head once again against her raised knees.

"I see," the woman nodded in acceptance, then arching an eyebrow at the child. "Then… why were you running so fast?"

"This is none of your concern!" The child yelled as her head shot back up. "Just go away!"

For a long moment, the women simply stood there, gazing back into the child's anger-ridden face with only a passive expression on her own. After several seconds past, the robed one nodded once again. "As you wish youngling, I'll leave you be as you desire. But I should warn you that it will get rather cold out here when night comes. Near freezing, I imagine…"

Her words did seem to reach the little girl for a moment, as her eyes turned downward as if in order to contemplate them. But then the child once again buried her head against her knees. "It doesn't matter."

"Really? Because I would think you wouldn't want to freeze to death out here." The woman quickly responded. "Do you not have anywhere else to go?"

"No," the child replied bluntly. As far as she was now concerned, it was the truth.

"Well… would you like to have someplace to go?"

The little girl looked back up then at the woman, who smiled softly back at her. Who was this person? And why was she bothering her?

"Just leave me alone," the child replied more softly this time, her voice weak and dry from all the crying she had done. "You need not concern yourself for one such as me. No one else does…"

"Sorry, but I cannot simply turn away," the woman responded in a more serious tone. "Jedi aren't meant to simply turn away when they see someone in trouble…"

"A Jedi?" The child echoed the name, now looking upon the woman with more focus in her eyes. "You are a Jedi?"

"You've heard of us, have you? Well, technically I'm just a Padawan, but I guess that I qualify for a Jedi still, yes."

Indeed, the child had heard of the Order. She knew of them as some sort of organization of scholars and warriors, but reserved for specific types of individual. Her mother had once told her that social circles in which Jedi attended were often the most sought after. Still, seeing this woman now, the youngling did not understand what all the fuss about them was.

"But besides that," the woman continued, "do you not have a home to return to, child?"

The little girl shook her head as she lowered her eyes. "I have no home now. I have no one to be with – no one who really needs me. I don't have anything… "

"Come now. I don't think that's true, young one," the woman calmly retorted.

Anger quickly filled the child at this woman, enraged that she would so naively negate what the youngling knew was certain. "What, then! What is it you think I have!?"

"Well…" the woman paused to think for a moment. "You're still young, child. And the galaxy is a big place. If you look hard enough, I believe you can find something out there worth having."

For a moment, the child simply stared back at the woman, thinking her either overly optimistic or severely delusional in her views. Still… her words did manage to bring a small sense of relief to the little girl – enough so to at least calm the anguish that stirred within her.

"And perhaps…" the woman continued, now speaking with an uncertain tone. "I might be able to help direct you in the proper direction."

The youngling's eyes became crooked with uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"When I first saw you, child, I sensed…" The young woman paused again, hesitant to complete to finish what she desired to say. "I'm sorry. I do not think it is my place to say anything. But if you like, I can take you to someone who might be able to help you."

"Help me? To do what?"

"To find something worth having… That is what you want – isn't it?"

Again, the child found herself staring at the young woman, questioning the meaning behind her words and pondering if perhaps she truly meant them. Her expression, the compassion within her eyes, all spoke of her as someone who was trustworthy. And in the end, really, what did the child have to lose by taking her up on the offer?

The robed woman then slowly walked towards the youngling and, once in range, held out a hand for her to take. "At the very least, I can provide you with a better place to spend the night."

The child hesitated for only a moment longer, but eventually her hand rose to take the woman's palm. The Padawan smiled warmly at her as she helped the youth to her feet. "My name is Arren. Can you tell me yours?"

Opening her mouth to speak, the youngling's voice became stuck within her throat before being able to pronounce a single syllable.

If she told the woman her name… then her parents could use it to find her.

Her parents… How quickly she found herself bearing hatred and revulsion for them. They were despicable to her now – creatures beneath her contempt. She now saw them for what they were, and the kind of person they were attempting to turn her into.

No… she would not let them find her. She would not let them use her ever again! And to achieve that end, she was willing to forsake all that tied her to them. Even her name…

Attempting to find a reply, the child raced through the list of other names she knew, hoping to quickly think of one that suited her well enough.

Jedi… Echani… Duros… Dora… Coruscant… Uscantro… Arcania… Arcana…Theo… Thea… Aeth… Telos… Tela… Tella…Taris… Rista… Sirta… Atris… Atris…

"Atris…" the young girl finally replied, "My name is Atris…"

"Atris, is it?" Arren echoed. "Well met, Atris. Before we go anywhere though, is there anyone you would like me to contact? Or perhaps anywhere else you would like to be taken?"

"No," the child responded in a flat monotone voice. "Just take me with you…"

--

The young Historian had continued to nibble at the entrees of her meal the whole time she had told the story to her attentive counterpart. And the whole time, Kai had listened with a look of disbelief upon his face.

The raven-haired Guardian was almost at a loss for words when the tale came to a close. A couple of years ago, he had learned that Atris was once from some high-class society by a passive comment made by Master Kavar when the boy had asked about her, but he had never imagined that her transcendence to becoming a Jedi was so… improper, as was his own…

More than that, the way she had told the tale was perturbing as well. Never once did she use the word 'I' or 'me' or any other identifier that would have made it clear that the child she had been speaking of was indeed her. She had disassociated herself from the image of a youngling who had once desired the love of her parents, and was in the end denied it.

Atris, like him, did not want others to look upon her as the person she no longer was.

"You asked me why I joined the Jedi, Kai," Atris remarked as she turned back to gaze upon the young Guardian, who quickly attempted to replace the unease on his face with a more melancholic appearance.

"Purpose, honor, and devotion," the Echani Knight listed off each point with pride and fervor, "Where else in the galaxy can you find a way of life that is as fulfilling in providing you with these three aspects? I know becoming a Jedi was likely just a means to escape from whatever life you once lived, Kai, but for me it has always been more than simply a sanctuary - more even than being a responsibility. It is a gift in every sense of the word, Padawan, and we must honor our commitment to what we have been given…"

And at last, she had answered Kai's original question.

The young Padawan had once asked Master Kavar why it was that all his teachers felt the need to give explanations with extensive monologues and parables rather than just direct answers, to which Kavar had replied that it was because there was a difference in knowing an answer and understanding it. And just now, Atris had made him understand the difference completely. She could have said that she had joined the Jedi because she had wanted more in life. But instead, she made Kai understand the why of it. And that had helped him immensely.

After what Master Quatra had told him yesterday, the young Guardian found himself doubting himself in a way as never before. Led by an overpowering instinct, driven by a bare need to survive – it made him wonder if perhaps every decision he had made up to this point of his life was the result of forces of which he had no control over, and that everything he now had because of it was as hollow as whatever desire and ambition he might have.

But Atris had shown him that there was another way to look at it. She showed him that there were things in life greater than the simple will to survive, and that such things are what the Jedi are truly about.

And he desired them… he realized this now without a doubt…

To desire such things as honor, purpose, and devotion: these were things that were not required by any need to help others or even to survive. So he knew beyond any doubt that they were his desires. His… and nothing else's…

Atris, having finished her meal, closed the container and placed it back in their pack, then proceeded to stand back up.

"I think we've wasted enough time telling stories now, Padawan. You should go ahead and eat you meal while you study over the…"

Atris paused as she turned about and finally got a good look at the young Guardian as he sat there silently on the grass.

Though he continued to stare off in the distance in front of him, he was smiling… It was an unusual smile, his lips stretching as broadly as they could, all the while chuckling to himself.

Even more noticeable to the clairvoyant Knight, the unnatural silence that she had felt earlier coming from Lugo was now replaced with a bright, warm glow. A stream of uplifting, positive emotions was now swirling about the Padawan, so polar to the aura he had been exhibiting but a few moments ago.

"Thank you, Atris," Kai said with cheer in his voice. He then immediately jumped to his feet, his persona quickly overshadowing the Echani girl's own as she had been standing less than a foot away from where he had been sitting.

Suddenly feeling a strong sense of anxiety, the young Historian immediately took a step back from her counterpart, bracing herself to defend against whatever impulsive action the green-eyed teenager would take next.

Fortunately Kai stopped upon standing up.

"Thank you so much," Lugo repeated once again, his smile not diminishing in the least. "You have no idea how much you have helped me. I have been fighting with this most of last night, and now… I don't know how to thank you…"

Atris' face twisted as she found herself at a loss. What was he thanking her for? All she did was explain to him her reasons for being a Jedi… which had no direct relevance to Kai himself. She didn't see any reason for him to be reacting as he was. "I… you're…"

The Knight cleared her throat as she attempted to regain her composure. "If you desire to thank me, Padawan, then it shall be by taking the responsibility I have trusted you with in all seriousness."

Kai's smile softened to a more reasonable disposition, but did not relinquish completely. He had not felt this… fulfilled and satisfied in a long time. "Don't worry, Atris. I already know my Peths and Qeks." He then held up the datapad she had given her, causing the young Historian to think that perhaps she had been a little unfair in her judgment of Lugo's scholarly aptitude, having included several files within the device that were meant for first-year Initiates. "And given the age range of the ones I'm to be assisting you with, I'm confident I am up to the task of being assistive."

A hint of sarcasm, but not as much as he commonly displayed. He was being serious, Atris realized, but he was also still being himself.

"Wait a sec…" Kai uttered, just noticing the position of the sun, and then checking the timepiece he kept in his robe pocket. "Ah, spacers! It's later than I thought. A nutrient bar will have to suffice. We need to get back to the Enclave."

Quickly throwing everything left out into the pack, Kai proceeded to place it on his back and started walking. It took him a second to realize that his companion was not moving at the same pace as him, and upon looking, he was surprised to find her still standing in the same spot she was a moment ago, her blank stare making it evident that she lost in thought.

"Atris?"

The Echani Jedi snapped back to reality, eyeing her counterpart with uncertainty filling her eyes. "I… left my scanner down near the ruins. Start back without me and proceed to our assigned congregation hall. I will be there shortly."

Kai eyed the young Knight for a moment. He sensed the sudden presence of anxiety within her. As unlike her as it might be, she was nervous about something.

Well, given that she would have to give a lecture in the next hour, Kai was not truly surprised. The idea of having to speak to a room full of people, even individuals younger than them, terrified the young Guardian.

"Alright. I'll see you back at the Enclave."

Lugo headed off, believing to leave the Echani to shake off her jitters.

And yes, the young Knight was afraid and confused, but not because of the lecture she would soon be giving. That, she was prepared for. And what she was prepared for, she did not fear.

This however, she was not prepared for…

As she walked down the side of the hill to retrieve her utensil, the Historian found her hand grasping at her chest. In that moment when Kai had gotten to his feet, and she had thought that he was going to…

What was this? It was like no sense of fear she had known before. Could it be possible that this sensation she was feeling was not truly fear, but something else?

Her body had gone tense…

Her senses were heightened…

And even now, her pulse was rapid…

It… had been important to her that she had helped Kai with what had been bothering him… and that he was appreciative of her… He was thankful to her. Thankful for her…

Why was that important to her? It – it wasn't! She just… was unsure of the overly emotional Padawan's intentions. That's all. This feeling could not mean anything else…

--

Meditating within the presence of others was a pet peeve for the prodigal Padawan. He found that students his age even when attempting to sit still and clear their minds were loud and distractive in terms of their presence within the Force.

And unfortunately for Revan, private meditation chambers were not a luxury mere students were afforded. Instead the auburn-haired youth was forced to seek solitude far from the Enclave; taking refuge in the remains of a ruined grove that lay secluded amongst Dantooine's rolling hills.

Sitting crossed-legged with his head lowered, Revan found the location proved adequate enough for his needs. Everything was quiet about him, allowing the humming of the Force to reach pique clarity within his mind. It hummed softly, like the sound of a soft wind blowing against his ears, yet within it he could hear so much more.

Nearly two leagues away to the North, a kathhound matron was tending to her newborn young. And through the Force, Revan sensed her instinctual motherly nature to tend to her child, as she took the softest meat of a downed prey and laid it before the infant. The scene and all its sensations caused the Padawan to smile to himself, more so for its irony than its heartwarming nature. For not far from where the kathhound babe feasted, the remains of the prey laid to rot, an animal no older than the infant predator was, with its mother's remains lying beside its own, currently being torn apart by the young kathhound's elders without prejudice.

One group of animals killing another in order to survive and prosper…

Far to the East, a young boy and his little sister were playing tag as they ran about their home, their father currently locked away in a dark office, his mind filled with paranoid thoughts and someone named Matale.

To the West, Revan sensed the green-eyed Padawan traversing his way back to the Enclave. Even from such a distance, the prodigal student could sense Kai's uplifted spirit, his feelings of fulfillment and self-assurance.

Something must have happened since last night, Revan realized, as this was a much different portrayal of the young Guardian than how he was then.

Allowing his senses to traverse even farther in that direction, Revan deduced the reason for Kai's sudden change in demeanor as his gaze fell upon his Echani companion. Something had come over her as well. He felt the Knight's piqued emotions, her anxiousness, and the warmth in her chest, all born from a longing that she was attempting to deny and disregard completely with sheer force of will.

It was sadly amusing for the prodigal student to observe: the way she childishly struggled against her feelings, seeking to detach her self from them. Was it so hard for her to admit that she cared for Lugo? That he meant more to her than simply being her Guardian and assistant? Were such feelings so wrong in the eyes of the Order, or were they simply wrong for her?

She was a teenage drama waiting to unfold, Revan mused, or perhaps a tearful tragedy about to crumble into pieces.

Amusingly enough, Revan doubted that any of this was directly related to Kai's unique abilities. No, this was the result of a cold, wounded heart beginning to feel warmth in the presence of companionship. And she was afraid of what that could mean…

Revan's attention suddenly shifted away from the far-off pair and turned southward as he sensed the disturbance caused by a slowly approaching individual, not fifty yards away from where he meditated. Whoever it was, they had managed to hide their presence from the prodigal student up until now, using the same technique that Revan had used when he had spied upon the Council. Whoever it was, they must have known what he had done. And as the deep hums of the hoverpad reached the Padawan's ears, Revan could honestly say he was not that surprised. Respectively, the student stood up and turned about to greet his superior.

"Are your eyes once again gazing where they do not belong, young Padawan," Master Vandar calmly and playfully asked as he approached.

The teenage boy smiled slightly. "I thought perhaps a few leagues away would be enough to satisfy Master Quatra's restriction upon me."

The elderly alien fell silent as he came up to the young human. And for a long moment, he simply stayed there, looking at him with knowing eyes.

There were not many Masters who could say that they were capable of making the prodigal student feel a sense of humility. In a respective tone, the youth went on to explain him self. "I meant no harm in my intentions, Master Vandar."

"It's not your intentions that concern me, young one, merely your actions," Vandar clarified.

"Ah," Revan looked away for a moment, taking to a sense of awkwardness. "You mean all things considered…"

The Padawan turned his brown eyes once again to the West. "You think perhaps his influence has reached me as well…"

"I suspect it has reached all of us to an extent, whether to his benefit or not. Master Quatra, in particular, seems adamant in defending his place among us rather then discerning the nature of his abilities."

"Well, she is a teacher, after all. It would be unlike her to think ill of her students. And it is not as if he has done anything truly threatening."

"Aside from stealing from your abilities…"

…

…

Revan's body became stiff, his eyes fell still, and even his lungs hesitated to draw breath. His deception had been discovered, and all the consequences of it, for both Kai and himself, were possibly about to unfold.

Consequences aside, the prodigal student had to ask a question first as he turned back towards the elderly Master. "How did you know?"

"There maybe events in the galaxy that can be waved off as luck or coincidence, young Revan, but for someone like Lugo to succeed at such a dangerous Force ability, the reasons cannot be something so dismissive... Reasons that I have been aware of for some time…"

"You knew of this?"

"More or less…" Vandar choked back his voice for a long moment, seemingly hesitant to continue onward. "There… was an incident several years past on Coruscant involving the brutal deaths of three underdwellers…"

"The Alleyway Massacre, yes, I heard of it while I was stationed on the planet," Revan comment indifferently, "what does that have to do…"

Assisted by the hard stare the Jedi Master was giving him, the prodigal student's mind made the connection.

"I… Master Vandar… are you serious?" Revan's face twisted a bit, though more in surprise than shock.

"We were all disturbed by the incident, to say the least," the elderly Jedi continued. "We later came to the congressional conclusion that Kai's actions during that incident were solely caused by the… excessive nature of his abilities…"

"Congressional conclusion," Revan echoed, confused for a moment by Vandar's choice of words. It quickly dawned on him the reason for them. "You found something that proved otherwise…"

"We did not suspect otherwise, but yes," Vandar humbly corrected. "Master Kavar had requested the coronary reports for the three underdwellers while Lugo was still undergoing recuperative treatments. In comparing the reports to Kai's medical charts, he made a… disturbing discovery: that the laceration and stab wounds that Kai had suffered-"

"-were identical to the ones he inflicted upon them," Revan finished for the Master.

"Albeit they proved not as immediately fatal upon him as they were upon the three aliens," Vandar added. "But yes, Lugo had taken the knowledge one of the underdwellers had concerning blade combat and turned it against them."

Revan could not help just weakly laugh and shake his had in expressing his amazement by what he was being told, all the while rubbing at the bruises that covered the lower part of his chest. "Unbelievable… he really is a thief, isn't he?"

"Not by choice. He has no knowledge of his abilities."

"I see. So Master Kavar is aware of this. What of Master Quatra?"

"No, nor do any of the other Masters. The danger he represents would be too great in their eyes to risk allowing him to remain among us. He would be exiled without ever knowing the reason why."

"And that would be unfair, wouldn't it," the auburn-haired teenager added whimsically. "Not to imply a weakness on your part, Master Vandar, but do you wonder if perhaps your decisions concerning him are due to his ability to influence others?"

"Do you?" Vandar asked in return with a knowing smile. "With this distance now separating you from him, do you find yourself questioning or even scrutinizing the actions you have taken on his behalf?"

The brown-eyed youth looked away for a moment in contemplation. It was not within Revan's nature to second-guess his decisions. There had never been a reason to before. Was there reason to now?

"Have you done anything that you later questioned, Padawan," Vandar added, "Have you found yourself setting aside your reasoning, or stretching the limits of the justification behind your actions, for his sake?"

For his sake? Had Revan truly done anything for Kai's sake? The entire incident with Bandon, their duel, his intervention involving Reiko Vynn, and even interjecting the Council: could the reasons behind his actions not have been as self-motivated as he thought?

"I suppose I have gone out of my way to help him. But as for him manipulating me on some unseen level… I do not believe it."

"Oh? And why do you not believe it?"

Revan answered whilst looking back upon the Jedi Master with uncommonly sincere eyes. "Because he has nothing to offer me... just as I have nothing to offer him: strength, ability, conviction, or otherwise… Besides… even if we did, I get the sense he's as incorrigible as I am…"

A couple of amused chuckles escaped from behind the little green alien's weak smile. "A sound observation… but flawed in its conclusion."

The prodigal student furrowed in uncertainty. "Meaning…?"

"You and Lugo, Revan - in many ways you are strikingly similar." Vandar explained. "Will and focus, strength and conviction: you both share these qualities in one form or another. However there was one aspect of both of you that I find you are fiercely in opposition – completely separate of the Force yet perhaps just as important - and I have yet to determine which of you is the stronger for it."

Revan had studied under the tutelage of several Jedi Masters in the decade or more he had lived amongst the Order. Always there were lessons, techniques, and lifetimes of history for him to learn. And with most of the Masters, that was all they ever had to offer the auburn-haired Padawan.

There were not but two teachers who had ever offered him something more; two teachers whom had his genuine respect and admiration for above all others. And one was Master Vandar: the eldest Master of the Order, who understood more from the several lifetimes he had devoted to the ways of the Jedi than Revan knew he could ever hope to learn, who never said or did anything without reason, and who knew how to spark the prodigal student's intrigue. "And what aspect would that be?"

The elderly Master knowingly smiled as he turned about and started to leave. "If you desire to know, then you will have to continue to watch him, Padawan. And perhaps, if you look closely enough, you will see what it is I saw when I first found him. If you choose to continue observing him, however, make sure to do so in accordance with Master Quatra's wishes. She's concerned enough as it is with Lugo's situation."

The little green alien continued onward back towards the Enclave, quickly becoming but a discoloration at the edge of Revan's sight, leaving him in contemplation.

The raven-haired Guardian was interesting, yes, but Revan had come to the conclusion that there was nothing more really for him to obtain by continuing to observe that one anymore than he already had, having intended his acts of securing Lugo's place within the Order as a final mark of gratitude for enduring his interference.

But if Master Vandar was correct, then perhaps there was something more for Revan to gain here.

And Master Vandar was rarely ever wrong.

Respectively, P and Q in Aurebesh, the intergalactic Basic Alphabet. Look it up on www.starwars. if you'd like to learn it!


	9. Chapter 9

"The Jedi Code – the staple of every member of the Order, defining how we must act, perceive, and overcome."

The many rows of younglings respectively sat behind their desks in attentive silence, gazing down the length of the lecture hall at their teacher.

"While the Code in itself is known to have existed for several millennia past," Atris continued, then activating the ceiling holovid projector, producing the life-size image of an alien being that appeared to be standing next to her. "It is only in more recent centuries that this one, Jedi Master Odan-Urr, had brought about a series of teachings intended to divulge the deeper meanings hidden behind the subtle words that we are taught."

Leaning against the wall at the far back of the hall with his arms crossed, Kai listened passively as his counterpart continued speaking. The day felt as if it were flying by for the Padawan. Atris had decided to keep there time at the ruins short, only spending the last two hours there in what was usually a seven hour expedition. She claimed that she wanted him to be well rested for what she was entrusting him with later. True or not, Kai rather enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in.

Their time together at the ruins felt even more brief with Atris barely saying a word to him the whole time. She didn't even take a break to eat, which just left the young Guardian confused as she was undoubtedly famished. Before Kai could knew it, they were back at the Enclave.

It was already ten minutes into the Echani Knight's lecture, and yet never once did she stumble or show any sign of uncertainty for what she would say next.

"Master Odan-Urr realized that too many Jedi often perceived the code for its face-value. 'There is no emotion, there is peace.' Simple in form, and often misinterpreted as insinuating that as Jedi we are not meant to feel emotions, or any other sensation that would compromise our perception and judgment."

Kai then noticed the Historian glancing in his direction for moment, giving him the strangest of expressions, somewhere between the common melancholic he was so used to seeing and a look of uncertain distaste, as if she was conflicted over him for some reason.

"All beings feel emotions," Atris continued as she looked back to the students. "Anger, fear, aggression, sorrow: most are either ruled by them, or attempt to ignore them completely. As Jedi, we are meant to stand as examples to the galaxy, which means choosing the right path rather than the easy one. Such was perhaps the greatest lesson Master Odan-Urr ever taught. Those who are ruled by their emotions become oblivious to logic and reason, rendering them fickle and destructive both to themselves and those around them, while those who attempt to hide from their emotions are attempting to hide from reality. As Jedi, we must always seek to be guided by truth and reason. That includes learning to recognize and understand the very impulses that drive us. And by such understanding, we learn to control and overcome our own emotions, thereby maintaining our inner calm and acting with clarity and precision."

She was just as good as Lugo thought she would be: well-versed and well-spoken. Perfectly adapt for the role of teacher and scholar that she devoted herself to. The younglings all paid attention with their pronounced gazes upon the Echani Knight, taking in her words as she continued with her lecture on the Jedi Code. Kai could honestly say he enjoyed seeing this side of her.

It was a lecture the young Guardian had heard before, given several times by several different Masters, each having presented it in a way that reflected their own perceptions, be it with more emphasis on the need for understanding or the need to overcome, or any of the other several points within the Code that could be interpreted and studied upon.

Personally, Kai reflected less on the Jedi Code than he knew he should, or than he used to. Experience had always been his greatest teacher, which was something even Master Kavar agreed on, forcing him to walk openly in crowds instead of just telling him to learn to be calm while among others.

Honestly, when Kai had first learned the Code, he thought of it simply as a means of positive reinforcement, like a motto or a team battle cry, meant to stimulate within him the concept of how a Jedi should act and perceive. It would not be until a few years after joining the Order that he would learn it held greater meaning.

Admittedly, there were times where Kai was so sick of teachings and lectures that he did not want to listen anymore; where all he wanted to do is be left alone to practice his combat techniques. Many times he had to force himself to listen with alternative means: drinking a large amount of Stim Tea to keep himself super-perceptive, using a datapad to write down what his teachers were saying in order to keep attentive, and repeating the key points of a lesson over and over in his head until they sunk in. He imagined his need for such methods is what placed him on a different level from his peers. Even the younglings Atris currently attended to seemed to be more submerged in the lecture than he ever could be. It always seemed that his mind wanted to be somewhere else.

"Good afternoon, Padawan."

Kai looked to his right to find Master Zhar walking towards him from the entryway. He immediately pushed his back off the wall and respectfully turned to face his superior, bowing his head once the twilek Jedi stood before him. "Afternoon, Master. What brings you here?"

Turning to face down the length of the massive hall, Zhar eyed the Knight at the far end. "If perhaps Atris needed support in her lecture, one of us should be here to observe."

"I see," Kai replied, then looking back upon the Historian as well as she continued. "Well, I'd hate to tell you you're wasting your time, Master, but… well, you're wasting your time."

Zhar quietly chuckled to himself for second. "Perhaps I am…"

Atris, as one so methodical in her studies and devoted to her role as a Historian, was far from being in need of support for giving a lecture. With a clear and even tone, well punctuated grammar, and a voice and accent that were admittedly easy on the ears, one could almost proclaim the Echani scholar epitomized the role of teacher.

Five minutes into passively watching the young Knight, Zhar would have felt comfortable leaving Atris to her own. However policy dictated he should stay for the entirety of the lesson. It at least granted him an extra moment in his day to silently contemplate.

Kai would have preferred not being there at all. Atris' lecture on the Jedi Code presented nothing new to him. While he found his counterpart's presentation of it to be more enjoyable than the ones he had heard so often, it was all information that had practically been burned into his brain by now.

"How go your studies, young Padawan," the twilek Master suddenly asked as the pair continued to watch from highpoint.

"Well enough," Kai politely responded, "Master Kavar has me currently studying meditative techniques. He feels I need to learn to be able to focus my thoughts better; that my mind is a bit too… whimsical when it is not set on a task."

"Is it," the twilek asked indifferently?

Lugo twitched his shoulders a little, not comfortable with being evaluated, even when it was he himself making the evaluation. "It's… always been harder for me to concentrate when I am among others. Kavar says that I'm so aware of everything and everyone around me that often I am not aware of myself."

That sounded like a strangely fitting assessment of the Padawan, Zhar thought to himself. "I heard you will be helping Atris with the students' exercises. Do you think you are ready?"

"I can teach hopefuls a few basic techniques and lessons. I just wish my nerves would come to grips with it."

"Stage-fright?"

"I thought my earlier performance in the Council chamber would have made that obvious." Lugo let out a heavy breath in order to relieve some of tension he felt within. He knew it was stupid – to get worked up over something so simple like teaching a few younglings. Still, it had been a long time since anyone expected more from him than what he did for himself, aside from whatever menial labors Atris and Master Kavar instructed him to do.

This also wasn't the same to him as when he gave Mical a few pointers on lightsaber combat. These students would be expecting clear, professional guidance from him, as would Atris and any other authority figure that would be present. What if he did not meet up to their expectations? What if he showed himself to be incompetent as a Jedi?

Again he realized he was being stupid. This wasn't a grand, intricate lecture at some prestigious university on Alderaan he was giving. This was him teaching a bunch a children. Absolutely nothing to be tense about… So why wouldn't this feeling go away?

Rather than dwell on the subject, the teenage Padawan decided to ask about a matter of interest that he had been curious of for some time. "I heard Revan was currently your apprentice, Master Zhar."

The twilek cast the raven-haired youth a quick glance, not sure why Kai was speaking to him of such, before turning back in Atris' direction. "Yes, that is correct. He did mention to me that you two had met."

"Did he? I'm surprised he would have mentioned me. We did not exactly… see eye to eye."

"How's your leg, by the way," Zhar asked, rather pointedly, making it clear that he understood what Lugo meant.

"It's fine now," Kai answered, tapping his heel a few times to make sure that it was just numb from standing for so long. "I'd ask how your Padawan's ribs, lungs, and throat are, but given his aptitude with the Force, I imagine he's breathing – and speaking – the same as usual by now."

"He is an extremely competent Force User, yes." It was an unnecessary point of reinforcement, the twilek Master knew. Almost always the first thing anyone noticed about Revan was the amount of power that hung about him so effortlessly. It was… intimidating to many.

Glancing over at the student beside him, Master Zhar could not say the same for the raven-haired teenager. For all the Council's talk on Kai's strange abilities and connection to the Force, looking at him now all that Zhar saw was what he saw with most Padawans that were Lugo's age: average. The Force flowed calmly through him at average speed and quantity; nothing indicating that there was anything particular or unusual about him.

But… the twilek Master saw something much different when perceiving outwardly. Kai's stance, the look in his eyes that radiated with experience, the slight discolorations on his face – remnants of scars long healed - that told of his past struggles: there was strength in these things.

But what was such strength when weighed against the Force?

"Incidentally, where is he right now," Lugo asked with passive interest, remembering how the Protégé had a habit of appearing unexpectedly, much to his annoyance.

"Working in the Droid Maintenance Bay."

"Droids?"

"He has a strong interest in machines – droids especially. He commonly spends his free time learning advanced programming and studying upon mechanical hydraulics and the like, along with other areas of study. He's more than once completely disassembled one of the protocol droids without permission, only to put it back together in complete working order."

"I didn't imagine someone like him would have such a strong interest in something so... common."

"It helps him center himself; a form of 'active meditation' as he calls it. It often seems he prefers the presence of droids more than his fellow students."

"He would..." Kai replied with a gritty tone, finding the image of Revan with an army of combat droids was rather suiting. "I can't imagine why you would have wanted to take him on as an apprentice. He did not strike me as the kind of student who would take well to your… uh…"

By the way Zhar looked back at him, with a gaze more serious than casual, Kai quickly realized that his tongue had once again caused him to step out of order. "I'm… sorry, Master Zhar. It's not my place to comment on such things."

"No, it isn't," the twilek calmly reaffirmed, but smirking slightly as he was glad to see a sense of humility within the Padawan that the Council feared could prove more dangerous otherwise. "I understand your views, however. So if it means anything to you, know that despite his… flamboyant nature, Revan is a very apt student and apprentice. I imagine his eagerness to learn is what drove him to seek me out as his teacher."

"He sought you out?" Kai echoed with a confused tone and a crooked brow. "I did not know Padawans had the option of choosing their teachers."

"In general, they don't," Zhar explained, "Based on their particular abilities, or lack there of, Padawans are either assigned a Master by the council, or taken on by one who personally requests such assignment. But Revan has proven a… unique case in terms of his ability to learn and progress. Much like Atris, he has been granted several liberties in his development."

"Is that so…" Apparently getting away with nearly killing a fellow Padawan fell under that list of liberties. It was pointless to make a fuss about it now, Kai knew, but a part of him still felt responsible for what happened to Bandon. As much of a thug as he was, he did not deserve to suffer at the hands of whatever twisted plot it was that Revan had conjured.

Then again, perhaps having a few of his ribs cracked had been punishment enough for the prodigal student, as was the busted leg Kai had received in turn.

Listening in silence for the next few minutes, the two spectators realized that Atris' lecture for the day was quickly coming to an end. That being, Master Zhar gave a slight nod of satisfaction for what he had seen and turned to leave. "It seems my presence really was not required here. Still, it was good talking with you, young Padawan, and may the Force be with you."

With that, Master Zhar quietly walked out of the lecture hall, leaving young Kai to wait by himself as Atris began to wrap up her lesson.

"I'd prefer to have a little more confidence with me than the Force right now," the green-eyed teenager muttered to no one in particular as the students began to leave the room.

{(---)}

"Well, that certainly wasn't expected," the tiny holovid projection of Master Kavar muttered as he rubbed at the strain that had built up in his forehead. "So was anyone hurt by this… echo, as you called it?"

"As far as the council and anyone else at this point need be concerned, no," Quatra replied as she sat before her work desk within her chambers, her expression a mix of concern and uncertainty.

By her choice of words, it was easy for the Jedi Guardian to deduce what she was implying. He understood that certain… events concerning young Lugo were best left unspoken. "And this friend of his – Mical – beyond an increase in combat prowess, has he exhibited any other form of behavior unnatural for him?"

"Confidence, persistence, and more openness towards others," the young woman listed off, unsure of whether she should be pleased or concerned by such things. "Nothing I would perceive as being a danger to him. It's difficult to tell whether this is simply the result of someone giving him the helping hand he needed, or whether Kai is forcing such things upon him."

"Then perhaps we should stay focused on what is more likely to prove a danger," Kavar suggested as much to himself as he did to his counterpart. "This echo of pain you've described… You believe its source was originally the young ones he formally attended to in his younger days?"

"That is the only answer I could theorize," Quatra explained as she leaned back in her chair, taking a moment to look about the room at the many plants she kept. "His compassion for the life of others is rather extraordinary for one so young, extending to even those who openly wish him harm."

It still surprised her that Lugo had shown concern for Bandon even after what had occurred between them.

"A side-effect of his abilities, perhaps?"

"Maybe – maybe not." An inconclusive answer was the only one the young teacher could give. "We still don't know why or how he forms these bonds of his in the first place, or exactly what he achieves through them."

It was fortunate that Master Kavar was simply a hologram on her desk right then, for if he had been standing in the room with Master Quatra she would have felt that he was keeping something from her. As Kavar saw it, it was not necessary at this point for her to know of the more… parasitic qualities Lugo's ability possessed. And, as far as he knew, it has not been an issue since the Alleyway Massacre.

"For now, my main concern is preventing a repeat of the incident." Quatra continued. "I doubt the other council members will remain open-minded towards Lugo if the echo we felt proves reoccurring and continues to increase in potency."

"You have a plan to prevent this?"

"More like an intuition at this point." It was difficult for Quatra to explain, but she believed it possible to help Kai overcome what pain he kept buried within and perhaps prevent it from spreading outward again.

Her experiment within her meditation chamber had proven that Kai managed some level of control over the intensity of the echo, and that as long as he maintained his inner stability, he was not a danger to others. But again, all of this fell upon mere theories and speculation, nothing certain.

"Hopefully before he returns to Coruscant we will be able to give Lugo some means to move forward with his life."

Kavar quietly looked upon the woman then, with calm eyes that hiding the epiphany he just had about his friend.

At first, Quatra had agreed to help him in this endeavor for his sake alone. But Kavar now saw that this was no longer the case. The reason she was doing this now had nothing at all to do with him.

She was doing this now only because she wanted to help Kai.

For only a moment, the Guardian suspected that it was possibly due to the boy's influence that this ambition stirred within her. But knowing his old friend – knowing how far she was willing to go to help those she watched over, how aggressive and ambitious she could be when seeking to provide for their future: he knew better.

"You should have been a Guardian, Master Quatra," Kavar said with a knowing smile.

The woman gave the image of her friend a strange look. "What do you mean? I've always favored the way of the Consular since I was a mere youngling. You know that…"

The swordsman simply shook his head. "Never mind. Well, thank you for keeping me informed. Oh, and please be sure to pass on my regards to Kai when you see him. He knows already that he will need to provide a report to me concerning his assignment when he returns here, but if you could remind him anyways…"

"Very well, then. I shall keep you informed if there are any more developments. Till next time, Kavar."

"Till next time…"

The pair shared one last smile with each other before they cut communication.

Letting her head fall back, Quatra rubbed at her eyes with she attempted to fight off the uncertainty she felt within.

Intuition? More like a shot in the dark. How could she hope to assist the Padawan in overcoming this when she did not even fully understand what it was?

An instinct that drove him to suffer, fight, and kill, the ability to forge Force Bonds that caused him to endure the torments of others and also gave him the ability to mentally dominate them, and now this echo born of a thousand screams: just listing all the abnormalities surrounding young Lugo gave the Jedi Master a headache.

But her choices, or rather Kai's, were becoming fewer.

Master Vandar had confirmed that this echo had gotten stronger over the years, as has likely Kai's other innate abilities. Why? They did not know, but that was only a secondary concern at this point. While isolation may have prevented its effects from reaching others, it apparently did nothing to weaken it. And though Master Quatra had managed to keep the extent of what this anomaly was capable of a secret from the other Masters, if it became any stronger…

And if her suspicion as to the origin of this sensation was accurate, it likely meant that for whatever assistance she would give the Padawan, it would have little impact on the echo itself. It may even become stronger as Kai progressed.

And if that happened, then there was little hope for the raven-haired teenager.

Yet still they had to try.

{(---)}

"This is it?" Kai asked, feeling as though someone had played a rather poor trick on him.

Standing at the entryway, the young Guardian looked in upon the training room that consisted of twenty-some younglings between the ages of six and ten, some of them appearing to be completely new to the Order, and all of whom were currently partaking in one of the many activity stations about the area.

Standing next to Lugo, the Echani Knight did not understand her counterpart's surprise. "What exactly were you expecting?"

"I don't know: a groups of students to which I would have to teach a few lessons – something along those lines."

"When did I ever say you would be giving a lesson?" Atris replied, laying the blame directly on the raven-haired swordsman for reading what he wanted into her words. "I said you would be assisting in teaching younglings in basic Force techniques."

"So what was the point of that datapad of yours then?"

"You have to know the teachings in order to assist others in learning them, Padawan. Isn't that obvious?"

Gritting his teeth, Kai looked away from the girl as he had to work hard in order to avoid hitting something right then. Why didn't she just tattoo the word 'moron' on his head and get it over with!? He could not believe he allowed himself to be deluded by how the Historian made him feel like what he would be doing would somehow be grander and more involved on his part than this.

Seeing Lugo's aggravation as he continued to look away from her, Atris pointedly asked. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

Letting out one of the many sighs of defeat he has had since arriving on the planet, Kai turned back towards the Knight. "No, it won't. So what exactly do you expect me to do?"

"Just make sure each Initiate has a chance to complete every activity. If they have any questions or are in need of assistance, they will know to come to you. Beyond that, simply watch over them and make sure they are doing what's expected."

"Great… and where will you be?"

"Attending to the higher-level Initiates in the training grounds down the hall. I am entrusting you to at least take this responsibility seriously, Padawan."

Without another word, the white-mane Knight turned and left, with an extra quickness in her step that confused Lugo as she disappeared down the hallway. She was in a hurry to get away.

Was she angry with him, or was she simply worried that he would prove as whimsical with this as he was in guard duty? What did she expect - for him to be ever vigilant against the elusive field rats?

She seemed... distant somehow. More so than normal, which may or may not be saying much, but for some reason Lugo noticed it. The look in her eyes – like she was attempting to stare through him rather than at him. The firmness in her tone, before seeming natural of her voice, now sounded forced as though she were having trouble maintaining it, as if was afraid that her words might tremble in front of him.

Letting out a sour grunt, Kai closed his eyes and dropped his head, knowing that perhaps he was being a bit overly scrutinizing of her, considering everything, and especially after what she did for him earlier. He had asked a lot of her, he supposed, in revealing parts of her past to him. It couldn't have been easy for one whom was seemed always content with her air of professionalism. Having stepped beyond her norm must have been difficult for her. She was struggling to regain it, the young Guardian surmised. It was what worked for her, what gave her the strength to be as devoted to the Order as she was.

Atris needed to be Atris.

Walking into the room, Kai quickly made note of all the activities the younglings were engaged in. A clay molding table, levitation practice using wooden blocks, basic meditation mats, a construction table with kits for making practice sabers, and a precognitive training kiosk where users attempted to guess what object the holovid projector would show them next. All of it basic tools for teaching first-year Initiates, just as Kai himself had used on Coruscant.

More than the activities, it was the children themselves that garnered the teenager's attention. So many of them all together... it was nostalgic for the former Underdweller, though only passively so as these strong, healthy children were a far different lot from the weak, sickly ones he had once tended to. Also, these children seemed more capable of smiling and enjoying the lives they had.

Quietly walking about as he observed the younglings, Kai made note of a few of the alien species included among them. Togruta, twilek, and a few others the raven-haired teenager failed to recognize. Memories reminded him of the unfair prejudices he often saw humans exhibit upon other species while living in the Coruscant Depths. Groups would band together looking for stragglers amongst the dark alleys, often killing or nearly killing whatever poor alien they came across.

Kai never really understood such hatred as some of the kindest and most compassionate people he recalled meeting were of different species, many included in the gallery of orphans he had formed. Adults, especially humans, so often seemed to look for a reason to hate one another, as if it somehow validated all the suffering in their lives, when all it did was wrought more pain in the world...

The sound of agonized moaning brought the green-eyed Padawan back to reality. Looking over his shoulder, he found the cries coming from the group of Initiates who were currently cross-legged on the ground and engaging in meditation training.

Kai quickly walked over to them. "Are you alright?"

As he spoke, the group of five seemed to come out of their trances, rubbing at their heads as they looked back upon Lugo.

"My head suddenly began to hurt," one of the youths replied.

"Mine too," said another, the rest either nodding in agreement or keeping quiet.

Noting that all of them seemed alright, Kai inquired. "What happened?"

"It just… started to hurt…" Another replied.

"Do you know why?"

All the younglings shook their heads, looking back upon Lugo as though he had the answer.

"Well…" Kai attempted to think of the most plausible answer. "Maybe one of you was pressing yourselves too hard. You likely placed strain on your connection to the Force, and it rippled among the rest of you. It's nothing to worry about – I've done it countless times before getting it right."

The young ones simply gazed back at the older student, trusting in his years that he knew what he was talking about.

"Here," Kai sat down with his legs crossed in front of the group. "I'll join you for a minute and give you some pointers. Now close your eyes and listen to my voice."

The younglings complied without complaint.

"Now, let all your other senses fall silent. Do not feel with your bodies or see with your eyes. Disconnect yourself from such things. Let only the Force encompass all that you can sense. Let it be all that you know. Listen to it sing – the sounds it makes as it ripples around and through us. Let it come to you with natural flow, not strain and intensity. Just feel… and listen…"

With that, Kai opened his eyes to find the group of students once again in meditation. Yet this time they seemed more engrossed by it, almost completely disconnected with the physical.

Kai couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened as it had taken him a lot longer to master such a level of nirvana. And all he had done now was repeat the same words several of the Masters on Coruscant had used for him.

Why were they so much better at it, Lugo thought in annoyance as he stood back up and walked away? Maybe Master Kavar had more of a reason for wanting to teach him more meditation forms: an area of expertise he always lacked in ability. His mind just seemed to dislike standing still.

"Padawan," a small voice called out.

Kai turned about to one of the Initiates walking up to him - a young togrutan girl of some early year – holding one of the practice sabers from the construction kit in her hands.

"Mine won't work."

Looking over to the activity station, Kai saw that the other Initiates had already completed constructing their sabers and were now busy taking them apart and putting the pieces back into their individual kits.

"Well, let's see," Kai warmly spoke as he knelt down and came to eye-level with child, whom then placed the device into his outstretched hand.

A simple latch kept the outer casing secure as the practice sabers were designed to be easy to construct and deconstruct – far different from an actual lightsaber. Still it taught students the basics of the weapon's design, which was its purpose.

Thinking back upon his own lessons, Lugo realized how far his own understanding of lighsabers had come over the years. While Initiates were simply expected to know the layout the weapon's inner mechanics, Padawans were taught on how to construct the actual parts of the device – from the power conduit to the emitter matrix. As Lugo himself practically wielded two sets of the weapon – all the design configurations and calculations were now burned into his memory. He could not even begin to guess how many times he had taken his own one apart, right down to its base components, and then reassembled the device to perfect working condition.

Kai would have enjoyed the opportunity to learn of some of the newer configurations the Knights and Masters were partaking of, but sadly for him Kavar currently forbade the Padawan from customizing his lightsaber, saying that it would be unwise for him to place any more focus upon his combative nature than he already did, needing to focus more on the other aspects of being a Jedi. A shame – blue wasn't really his color...

As for the imitation model now resting in his hand, Lugo almost immediately recognized the Initiate's error.

"Well here's your problem," Kai playfully said as held the device out for the togrutan girl to see. "Your focusing lens is upside-down, that's all."

The child's eyes widened as she saw her mistake, moaning slightly behind her lips in irritation, bothered that she could have made such a simple error.

Lugo chuckled lightly behind a kind smile, amused by the fact that had someone made that mistake with an actual lightsaber, the power cell would likely have overloaded, blowing off the wielder's hand. It was probably better that he did not inform the youngling of this.

"It's nothing big, see?" Quickly Kai took out the lens and flipped it over, then closing the outer casing. One tap on the activation panel and the weapon's beam sprung forth. "Round side up, and it works like a charm."

Handing the device back, the youngling gave a small smile of appreciation before immediately walking back over to the station and beginning to deconstruct the saber.

This wasn't so bad, Kai thought to himself with a satisfied smirk upon his lips as he continued to walk among the younglings, watching closely for any need of assistance. Feeling gratification from such things was a part of life, or at least that was what Master Kavar had tried to teach him once. It was not something the raven-haired teenager fully understood: taking satisfaction from committing acts of kindness and compassion. Such a way of thinking was too self-validating for young Lugo, as if gaining prestige for one's charity was more important than the charity itself. But again, Kai knew that his way of thinking was a bit different from what one would call commonplace.

Regardless, it was nice to partake of something outside his more usual routine of practicing, studying, and playing bodyguard.

"Having fun?"

Caught off guard by the sound of an adult voice in a room full of children, Kai turned about with a bit more exertion within his movements than he knew was prudent.

Quatra stood calmly with her arms crossed behind her, a soft smile on her lips accompanied by calmness in her eyes.

"Master Quatra?" Kai's voice betrayed his surprise."What are you... I mean... I wasn't expecting to see you here."

The Padawan quickly recalled what Master Zhar had mentioned earlier in the lecture hall. "Please tell me your not here to watch me walk around the room for the next hour or so."

"The council's policy is quite clear on a Master needing to be present for such undertakings by Padawans," the young woman explained, almost sounding apologetic to the raven-haired youth. "Regardless, I was more than curious in seeing how you would take to the role of teacher."

Kai snorted in ridicule. "One needs to teach in order to be considered a teacher, I would think. Everyone here already seems to know what they need to do, give or take the occasional error."

"A tutor then," Quatra corrected.

"I hate that they all seem to be so much smarter than I was at that age," the young Guardian joked with a smirked as he scoped the room, watching the younglings as they laughed and played with their friends while completing their exercises with relative ease. "Makes me wish Master Vandar had found me earlier than he did."

Quatra chuckled softly in the back of her throat, once again enjoying the teenager's laid-back mannerisms. All issues aside, the boy was good company to have around, given that he never seemed to let his own problems or concerns get the better of him or placed their burden on those around him either.

Sadly, such burdens were a part of a teacher's duty to help explore and overcome. And while Master Quatra would have liked to allow Kai to simply enjoy the rest of his time on Dantooine, there were still too many avenues left to explore, and they were running preciously low on time.

She had another reason for being here today...

{(---)}

It was perhaps a technique beyond their young years, perhaps even Padawans of Atris' age, but the Historian did not let such a thing dissuade her from her lesson. And as there was no inherent danger to such an ability, she felt exposure to it at this point in their training as Jedi might serve as a means of inspiration, and as an example of the deeper intricacies of the Force.

"All life is connected in the Force," Atris calmly spoke before the crowd of students, most of whom were approaching or in their early teens. "Every aspect of who and what we are as living beings, sentient or not, is touched by it. From something as mundane as breathing, to our cognitive ability and capacity for speech. As Jedi, we have the capacity to reach beyond the restraints brought about by the limits of our physical perceptions and achieve a standard of sight and control unobtainable otherwise. To see the world through the Force, to gain mastery over our very breath, to move beyond the limits of one's understanding of linguistics and instead hear the meaning behind a speaker's words rather than knowing the words themselves. This is called Force Listening – a more advance technique than most of you are likely familiar with, but one believed to be as old as the Order itself. And today I will be instructing you on the basic forms of training that are necessary for mastery of this ability."

"Knight Atris," one of the younger students held up his hand. "Isn't this something that is... too advanced for some of us..."

"Perhaps," the Echani teenager replied indifferently to the boy's doubt in himself. "Do not view this as unattainable, though. Such an ability is not about strength within the Force, but of knowledge and understanding – two things that we as Jedi must always strive to achieve. It is something that even Masters spend years training to perfect, so you are not expected to master it this day. You will however be engaging in exercises meant to help you start on the path to eventually being able to use this technique in a practical sense. You will find that a majority of beings both in and outside the Republic do not know Intergalactic Basic, or at least not as their primary language."

"Aren't protocol droids built for that, Historian?"

All eyes darted to the right side of the room where the voice emanated from. Although several of those present recognized the individual found standing with his back resting against the wall and his arms crossed, it was Atris herself who was most shocked to see that someone standing where she thought no one had been up until now, the surprise in her eyes betraying her shock.

Revan only returned a playful smile in response. "You'll run merchants out of business teaching techniques like that, Knight Atris. After all, who'd want to have a robot as a translator when our Jedi Initiates will come with such handy features, and yet are still small enough to be considered carry-on."

A bunch of the students giggled openly at the Protégé's humor. Atris did not. She instead turned back to to the matter at hand. "Form into your assigned groups, then each of you go to one of the training stations about the room. I have already provided the necessary utilities for you to start the first part of the lesson on your own. If you have questions, come speak with me. Otherwise, you may begin."

Given their instructions, the young ones quickly complied, moving past their teenage instructor and to the stations to being their training, all the while Atris continued to stare at her uninvited guest. "What are you doing here, Padawan?"

"Sorry for missing your lecture earlier. I was too busy with my own studies to bother attending," Revan replied, completely ignoring the Echani Knight's words. "I am more interested in your training class regardless, and seeing if perhaps you would have anything to offer me."

Stepping away from the wall and slowly approaching the young Historian, Revan kept that snide grin upon his lips as if amused by some unknown joke. He stopped only three feet away from her, the nonchalance of his brown eyes meeting the cold edge within her own. Though they had had no interaction with eachother since the incident after his match with Kai, something about this particular student just seemed to naturally conflict with the young Historian. She didn't care enough to hide her repugnance. "There is nothing that I'm going to teach you."

"Hmm... A teacher who refuses to teach – what a strange concept," Revan muttered as if to no one in particular, seemingly unbothered by her hostility.

"Get out..." Atris demanded in a voice tipped with venom, finding her distaste slithering its way into her tone, despite her efforts to keep her aggression at bay. "You have no reason to be here, bothering me, disturbing my lesson."

"I disagree, white Knight." The young Protégé looked to his left at the number of students who were busily engaged in their studies. "I feel it is my obligation to make sure that our younger disciples are receiving their education from one who is already adept to such teachings. And therefore I feel that perhaps _I_ would be a better candidate for instructing them on the ways of Force Listening."

Arrogant and outspoken – one would think that a mere Padawan would know to tread with a sense of humility. But Atris saw nothing humble in what stood before her. And yet... for him to be seen in the same light as her – as a prodigal student..."This is _my_ class, underling. You will leave here immediately."

"Underling, am I now?" Revan was more amused than insulted that she would throw such a word at him. Without explanation, he immediately changed his dialect to that of Rodian. _"And what exactly makes me an underling in the field of Force Listening, Knight Atris?"_

Did he think that she would be unable to understand him whilst speaking in a different tongue? Did he somehow think that if he displayed his linguistic ability that it would prove him her better? Arrogant and outspoken, but now also clearly a fool. If only to put this egotist in his proper place, Atris replied in a different tongue of her own: Echani. "_Your immature nature shows how incompetent you are as a Jedi. You lash out like a brute and squawk like a tach, brandishing power and talent both unwisely and undeserved."_

She maintained her calm tone even as she spout her words with clear malice. The grin still did not leave Revan's face as he stood at ease with his arms crossed. He chose Arcanian this time, keeping his response both short and simple. "_I am what I am, daughter of the Echani." _

Was that it? Was that the excuse he gave for all the flamboyancy, for all the dishonor he did to the Jedi name? I am what I am? That was the reasoning of a Jedi Protégé? What gave such a person the right to stand and be counted among the greatest following in the galaxy? Power? Was that all it came down to? Damn the teachings and values, was it simply the strength of one's will and ability that determined their place in this life? Atris refused to believe that. The Jedi were about something greater than power – greater than the will of one degenerate student.

_"How history will view me and my ways matters little in my eyes."_ Revan concluded, seemingly without care for the topic._ "Your distaste for me aside, my reason for being here is as simple as I have stated. I would not want these younglings to be... misled by one who is currently plagued with doubts."_

What was he implying? She... she had no doubts! He was speaking nonsense! For the sake of ensuring that none of the children within the room would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation, she continued playing the prodigal student's game, this time choosing the language of the Togrutan. _"What lies are these? You do not-"_

_"-It doesn't take much or long with him, does it?" _Again Revan spoke as if not hearing her, this time in a dialect the Historian did not recognize, necessitating her use of the Force Listening ability to understand him. _"How does it feel to have his talons buried within you, Jedi Knight? How does it feel to find yourself at the mercy of a Masterless pupil who shows no loyalty to any but his own animal instincts? Kai Lugo – Kai'ren Lugola: Spirit of the Mist, Predator of the Sky, guiding others to their doom as he collapses into the Abyss. Even now you feel it; the walls upon which you have forged your status as a Jedi being cracked by an allure that you have no control over. Yet where it has helped to guide his youngling friend, it now pulls at you in another way, a dangerous way. Such feelings – not at all like a Jedi..."_

_…_

Her voice could not answer, even as she tried to speak. Her body could not move, even as she tried to walk away. Her mind could not shut his voice out, even as she tried to not listen.

Why couldn't she ignore him? Why were his words cutting as deep as they did? And for all that she didn't understand about what he spoke of, why did she know that everything he said was true?

...

She could feel it again; it rose up once more from the darkness: that sensation buried within her chest she had decided to deny in the hopes that it would simply vanish. But even now she felt it. And as she took in the Protégé's words, she could feel it rising up like a tide.

As her head slightly lowered with distraught eyes, her right hand rose to push against the sensation she had hoped would dissipate: the throbbing warmth atop her breast. Why was it appearing now? Why did this one's words, the words of one who had no place in her life, bring about something so horrible upon her?

Why was this happening to her? What could possibly have caused such a thing? She had thought to dismiss it as mere empathy for her Guardian; a rush of emotional satisfaction from helping with what had vexed him. That was simple. That was sound. That was something a Jedi could experience without dangerous consequences.

Why couldn't she believe that anymore?

It burned within her, the anomaly a mixture of feelings, some completely new to her, others being so nostalgic as to remind her of times long passed from before she found her calling amongst the Jedi. Sadness, anxiety, hope, and above all else, a longing that she did not understand. It beckoned to her, begged for her to give in to something she could not contemplate, causing fear to build within her.

_"Ah... there it is..."_ Revan muttered, having closed his eyes for a moment. _"It echoes out from within you now, though I would suspect it has been years in the making. All that time you've spent with him on Coruscant..."_

{(---)}

It was late into the night at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Most Masters, Knights, and Padawans were fast asleep, letting their minds and bodies rejuvenate for the next day's activities. Not but a few night guardsmen and the occasional droid were up and about at this time. Or at least, that was how it was supposed to be.

The Public Archives, a hall as massive as a Senator's abode, with its countless shelves filled to the brim with datapads and tomes, was currently dormant of light and life, save for the one desk lamp that illuminated a small corner of the elongated study table and the young teenage girl who sat next to it, her eyes focused on the tome that laid before her.

She liked this time in her day when she could sit by herself within the great library, no one to bother her, nothing to distract her, and no limit to how long she could be there. It was a time for her to get ahead in her studies, to prepare not only for the next day's lessons, but for next week's, or even next month's. It was her time to improve on who she was, to advance her understanding of the Jedi teachings, and progress even farther in her status.

They called her a prodigal student for her overzealousness in her studies, tempered by her willingness to learn and follow the Code of the Jedi. She did not rightly understand this. As she saw it, what she was doing was something that every student to the Order should pursue, not just the most talented.

Perhaps her former life, filled as it was with lessons and practice and following orders, had prepped her for such pursuits within the Jedi Order, giving her a distinct advantage over her peers. Regardless, she made no excuse for her own shortcomings and would not accept those of anyone else.

"Umm..." A voice mumured in the dark.

The white-maned student immediately pulled herself from her studies and looked to her right in the direction of the voice. A figure around her height stood within the dark, partly hunched over as though cold. She raised her hand in the figure's direction, causing the desk lamp nearest the dark apparition to flick on. The individual retracted from the strong light source, covering his face and stepping back a bit.

It was a teenage boy, no older than the prodigal student he stood before, with long black hair, currently hiding his eyes with the sleeve of his night robe.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I... I'm sorry to intrude." His voice came forth quivering and weak, as though he were unused to speaking, or perhaps was afraid to do so. "I saw the light while passing through and-"

"-I don't wish for company," the girl interjected, having not the patience for such interruptions while enjoying her solitude. "If you desire something from the Archives, then claim it and leave me in peace."

"No... I'm not here because..."

"What's wrong with you? Why do you hide your face?"

"...The light," the boy answered pointing in the lamp's direction with his free arm. "Please turn it off..."

The girl looked upon the lamp and then back upon the boy, silently ridiculing that someone could be so bothered by such a weak source of illumination. Perhaps he had been walking in the dark for too long and his eyes were not adjusting well. Either way it mattered little. With another raising of her hand, the light flicked back off.

"Thank you," the boy replied, slowing dropping his arm away from his eyes. "I forgot my visor in my room. It's hard for me being exposed to-"

"-Why are you here?" The girl once again interrupted impatiently. "You shouldn't be walking around... the..."

When the boy had taken a step closer to her, allowing enough of her desk lamp's soft luminance to fall upon his features, the prodigal student was greeted by a face she recognized almost immediately, despite having only seen it once before.

"You..." the white-mane teenager muttered with disbelief on her face as she stood and turned her body towards the individual.

Finally managing to see enough of her face beyond the stinging light, the boy's reaction was much the same, though without verbal accompaniment.

"You're that thief!" The girl declared openly. "You stole my lightsaber from me!"

It had taken her more than a few seconds to recognize him once he had stepped into the light. He looked very different from the malnourished boy she recalled from several months back. But the eyes were the same.

How was the teenage boy meant to react such an aggressive accusation? "Uh... nice to see you again?"

The disbelief upon the girl's face only seemed to increase by his words.

{(---)}

_"Be... silent..." _Atris commanded in a shiver of her normal voice, so threatened with losing control as her fingers attempted to dig into the fabric on her chest, wanting to rip the feeling from her body. _"You... know nothing of what you speak."_

The snide smile upon Revan's face suddenly turned into a very serious and dark expression._ "I know this: I know that, for all the distaste for him and his reckless nature, you have never made an effort to be apart from him. I know that you could have chosen any other time to have practiced your combat forms, yet you chose the time when he would also be at the training grounds. I know that when you approached me last, spouting how I should have defeated him with ease and without harm, it was the image of seeing him wounded and in pain that stirred your aggression. I know that you, someone I doubt has ever desired the assistance of others, asked him to watch over the younglings you were responsible for. And above all, I know his very presence has caused you to waver in your devotion to the doctrines of our Order, birthing that abomination inside of you that you do not understand." _

{(---)}

He sat five chairs down the table's length from where the young girl continued with her studies. Every five minutes or so, she would turn to look in his direction for a moment, then return to her readings, as if having to remind herself that he was really there. Even in that dead silence that filled the Archive, he made not a sound, to which she was grateful for in the pursuit of her studies. Yet she found it also slightly unnerved her. Not once did he stir as he sat in that chair, arms holding each other as they rested atop the table, head lowered with eyes closed as if sleeping. And though he did nothing to suggest it, the young girl could not shake the feeling that he was watching her, aware of every motion she made and every thought she had.

She was being overly dramatic, she knew. He was here by chance, claiming that he could not sleep within the small room he was assigned and having gotten lost while roaming the halls. Why he did not ask one of the protocol droids or night watchmen to guide him back to his quarters, he did not say, but the white-maned student sensed an unnamed agitation within him. And it was this same agitation that made her feel that he was watching her.

What did it matter to her though? She never thought to see this one ever again, let alone within the Jedi Temple. She could not claim that it did not bother her that the Order would welcome one such as he into their numbers. After all, he was a thief. What place did a thief have among the Jedi? Still... it wasn't her place to question the will of the Masters. If this boy had been welcomed among their number, then there must have been a reason for it; she couldn't guess what it would be though...

"Do you plan to sleep here?" The white-mane girl asked with a distaste upon her voice, finding her irritation by his presence would not remain silent.

The boy's head almost immediately turned within her direction, like a frightened animal suddenly aware of a lurking predator. His voice came out as it did before, with barely the will to be heard. "I... wasn't planning to go back to sleep. I'm no good at it."

"You're no good at what? Sleeping?" The girl looked at the raven-haired boy as if he just said something simpleminded. And yet... by the look in his eyes, and the sensations he radiated, she felt that he was speaking honestly.

"Why... why are you still up?" The boy asked weakly. "Do you have trouble sleeping too?"

"No, I do not," the girl replied defensively. "I simply do not believe a Jedi needs more than so many hours of rest, and that any more is a waste of time better spent on studies."

"Study?" The boy responded curiously. "Is that what you're doing?"

Was the tome laying in front of her not apparent enough, the young girl wondered? Not wanting to engage anymore in this pointless banter, she looked back upon her book, hoping this interloper would take the hint that she had no more desire to speak with him.

The boy seemed to realize it well enough, taking back to his original posture of looking emptily on the table before him.

For what must have been nearly half an hour, that was how they sat, with her reading through the book before her, and him sitting there, not moving, not speaking – doing nothing but staring downward, as if he did not know what to do.

After all that time, the devoted student noticed her unwanted company finally stir from his motionless state. The green-eyed youth looked towards the shelf lined with tomes and datapads that stood behind where he sat, his wide-gazed expression making it seem as if he just noticed that he was in a massive library. Without warning, he stood up and walked over to the shelf. Randomly, there was no way he could have seen what it was whilst standing in the dark, he pulled a datapad off the shelf, walked back over to the table, and sat back down. Turning on the desk lamp in front of him to a very dim glow, he turned on the datapad.

"What are you doing?" The watchful girl finally called out, confused by what she was seeing.

The boy looked back over to her, his expression almost making it seem like he had forgotten for a moment that she was there. He replied softly. "I'm reading."

"Reading what? Do you even know what that is about?"

"Doesn't matter," he answered calmly. "It's about something I don't know. Why not learn a little about it then?"

He smiled slightly as he looked upon her, and yet the only look she could return was one of complete disbelief.

That he would walk into this room by accident and randomly start reading... who was this boy? More so, why did she suddenly find him so... unsettling.

It wasn't important, the white-robed student yelled at herself. Forcefully she turned away from the interloper and directed her attention back upon her work.

{(---)}

Fear turned to terror as every word Revan said, every truth Atris never had to face before, began to surface in her thoughts.

_"Would you like to know what it is, Atris of the Echani? What it is that is tearing down everything that you are? What it is that he had caused to fester inside you?"_ Revan asked. Was his intention to help her understand what she was feeling, or to use it against her? No one other than he knew.

And yet she couldn't say no. Even as she hunched over slightly, her face wincing as if fighting against an overpowering urge, both hands now attempting to hold back the swell, to prevent her from losing control, she could not answer.

So Revan did.

The Historian once again did not understand the dialect the prodigal student chose, and even as she attempted to avoid doing so, her mind listened to his voice through the Force. And it translated his words into three small syllables. Three small words.

…

{(---)}

Three hours had gone by without any more interaction between the two youths, and the white-mane girl was grateful for that.

She had managed to return to completely focusing her attention upon her studies, placing the interloper out of mind as he sat there, reading some random text without expectation.

She avoided looking at him, intent on returning to the clear state-of-mind she had before his interference. She was here to study and that was what she was going to do. She did not...

Without meaning to, the young student found herself once again looking within the boy's direction. Why had she looked? One moment she was calmly reading a line written upon her tome, the next she found herself looking at her stowaway. She did not want to! There was no reason to. Studying was the only thing that she was here to...

Now taking in what her eyes truly fell upon, the young teen found the reason for the silent ambiance. Without any indication within that three hours of silence between them, the boy had apparently fallen asleep – his head now laying down with his arms crossed atop the turned-off datapad. Sitting there with his head turned in her direction, he seemed strangely at peace despite what looked to be an uncomfortable position.

…

Was this a joke, the young teen girl wondered? This boy wandered away from his quarters, from his silent room and nice, warm bed, to traverse the hallways of the Jedi Temple, having no knowledge of where he was going or how to get back, only to end up, of all places, in the public archives where she had been studying in enjoyable solitude. For no apparent reason, he picked up a datapad to read, and then falls asleep whilst in the midst of doing so. The young girl could not imagine how this could simply have been a mere turn of events – that this... this thief would once again randomly walk into her life.

Fine! Let him sleep there, she decided, looking away once again. It at least meant he would not be bothering her with any more useless words.

{(---)}

"Get Out!!!"

The activity throughout the room came to a jolting halt as the Echani Knight's voice erupted in the ears of all those present with as much ferocity as a shock charge.

Disbelief and confusion quickly filled the faces of all who laid witness, save for one silent prodigal student who remained unbothered by such anger, nor the fact that it was directed at him. Well... partly at him... he imagined it was meant mostly for another... He simply remained standing there, looking back into those aggression filled eyes that stared back at him, waiting for what he knew was about to occur.

And but three seconds later, it did.

The rage subsided within Atris' eyes in but an instant, immediately replaced with disbelief and fear for what she had just done. She looked away from the silent Revan that stood across from her, unable to hold onto any sense of resolve as these sensations took hold of her in a way she did not believe possible anymore. She was frightened... terrified, unable to come to grips with the flood of long forgotten emotions that suddenly found their way back into the young Echani-noble girl who once thought to abandon them as she herself had been abandoned.

They took hold of her again, after so many years.

…

"Not at all like a Jedi..." Revan muttered with what appeared to be a sigh of disappointment. Without another word, he turned away from the young Knight, and left the room as quietly as he had entered.

… What he had said... No... he was wrong! He had to be wrong!

She did not-!

Jedi do not-!

Why couldn't she say it!? Why was she to terrified to even think it!? She asked herself this over and over again.

It was not true! She did not feel such a thing! She could not feel such a thing! Not for anyone! Especially not for-!

…

{(---)}

She was about done with all she had planned to study for that night before finally retiring to her quarters. The last hour had been one completely devoid of interference, and she was grateful for it. Quickly reading over the last paragraph of the chapter, she closed the tome quietly in satisfied self-validation. She had just finished reading the notes that were meant for next week's lesson, and had already done so for all lessons prior. Surely her Master would be impressed with her ambition to improve upon herself. Such ambition had already placed her above her fellow students in the eyes of several of the Council Members. In but a few short years, if she maintained her drive, her Master believed her possibly considerable for the rank of Knight! She would be among the youngest of Padawans ever to receive their full-membership into the Order's ranks. Such was all that was important to her now.

With the tome in her arms, the young student stood up from the desk, waiting a moment for her legs to become used to standing once again after so many hours. It was in that minute or so that she suddenly heard a strange sound. Looking over to the teenage boy, she quickly surmised that it came from him.

She hadn't heard so much as a noise out of him after he had fallen asleep, yet it seemed that his soft, nearly imperceptible breathing was now accompanied by a quite audible shiver.

He was cold... of course he was! The room, even as massive as it was, was maintained with a cooling system and dehumidifiers, designed to keep some of the older records from being slowly eroded by the elements. Did he not think to bring some extra clothing with him if he planned-

… Of course not, she realized, having completely overlooked the fact that he was here by sheer coincidence. Why would he have thought to bring anything?

She, on the other had, still had the blanket she had brought with her draped over her shoulders. Naturally, she had been prepared to spend a long time within the cold, dark room.

…

She should wake him up, she knew, or at least tell a droid or watchmen that he was here so that they would be able to escort him back to his room. It was, after all, the proper thing. This was not a place for people to sleep!

… And yet there he was, sleeping comfortably in that chair whilst laying over the side of that long table. He could not find sleep whilst laying within a warm, cushioned bed in a small, soundless room. It was within this large, dark chamber, with the sound of the cooling system and the dehumidifiers humming, that he found his solace.

…

Did it really matter? Would it hurt anything if she just let him spend what was left of the night away in this one small corner of the compound? What would it matter? Who would know? More to the point – who would care? Would the Keeper of the Archives come in in the morning, find him sleeping here, and condemn him for it? It was doubtful that she would say a word, as she already allowed the young teenage girl to spend the late hours of the night away within the archives.

No, the Keeper would not care, and neither should she then, the girl realized. Let him have this night, at least.

And as she about turned to leave, she heard once again the sound of the boy's shivering breath, and paused.

Placing the tome down for a moment, she took the blanket off of her shoulders and held it in front of her with both hands, looking upon it with her empty expression. It was a mere sheet of fabric, as simple as a Jedi's robes, with but a bland coloring and no design to speak of. Yet after having spent so much time draped over her frame, the fabric still bared much of her own warmth – warmth that she imagined this boy would appreciate.

…

It was a practical thing to do...

…

And if it mattered to her, which she wasn't convinced it did, she could always get the blanket back from him later.

{(---)}

"Excuse me, Knight Atris," a small boy from the conglomerate of onlooking, uncertain Padawans slowing approached the teenage Historian from behind as she had been standing there without motion for well over a minute after her outburst.

Lightly poking at her arm, the Echani Knight's immediately turned her gaze in the boy's direction. He jumped back in fright at the distraught face that stared daggers at him.

"I, uh..." Such an emotional face was not something he knew how to respond to.

Looking away from the speechless youngling, Atris eyed the faces of her other students, seeming only now to remember what it was she was doing here.

And yet...

"The lesson is canceled for today."

The younglings continued to stare upon their teacher in confusion.

"You are to clean up your stations, then continue on to your next assignments." Atris continued, speaking as if she did not even see the looks she was receiving in turn.

Another young student attempted to speak up. "Knight Atris, why are-"

"-That is all." Without another word or sign of recognition to the class, the young Historian turned about and walked out of the room in an hurried pace, leaving the younglings behind without another thought for them.

Faces blurred as she walked by them, nearly running. Several looked in her direction with concern, but she paid them no heed, barely registering them at all. All she could think was that she needed to get away.

She needed to run – to run until her feet blistered, until the pain and fear inside her chest subsided and dissipated, just like it had once before. Until she could convince herself that what that student named Revan had said to her wasn't true.

She needed to prove to herself again that she was above such things – that they held no power over her: not fear, not anger, and especially not-!

…

She... needed to run...

{(---)}

He could not say it was his proudest moment. But as Revan stood silently at the corner of the hallway's intersection, watching as the young White Knight walked, nearly ran, by him without noticing his presence, he could not help but be impressed that it had worked so well...


	10. Chapter 10

A wooden block sat center on the activity table in front of a young, brown-haired boy. Staring upon it with determined eyes, he raised both of his open hands in its direction. For several seconds, nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, the began to tense his muscles and harden his gaze. The wooden block suddenly began to shake slightly as if something inside of it began to stir.

Gritting his teeth, the boy continued to increase the strain he placed upon his body, attempting to obtain a greater level of control. Yet for all the tenseness he put himself through, the square block still refused to do more than shake atop the table's surface.

"Hey, hey, hey..." A voice interjected, causing the youth to lose his concentration. Dropping his hands and breathing out a releasing breath, the boy looked disappointingly down upon the small object, crestfallen from the sense that he had just been defeated by something so insignificant as a block of wood.

"You're going to blow a vein in your head, straining yourself like that," Kai remarked as he knelt down next to where the boy sat among his group: another blonde-haired youth at the same table, two near-humans, a Nagai and a Falleen, currently sculpting clay figures at another station, and one more youngling, of an alien race that Lugo did not recognize, leaning against the nearby wall next to an observing window, studying over a datapad in his hands.

"I don't get it," the young boy whined with a slightly raised pitch. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Everything..." the blonde kid sitting across from him coyly answered, garnering snickers from the others. The boy crossed his arms and began to pout in frustration.

"What your supportive friend means to say," Lugo interjected, eying the blonde youngling with disapproval, "is that you're going about this the wrong way."

"Then what's the right way?" The boy shot back in a frustrated tone. "I've keep trying to hold the stupid block, but-"

"-That is why you failed," Kai quickly interrupted, then slowly stretching his left hand out at the piece of wood. "You do not hold the stupid block, young one. The Force holds the stupid block. And you hold the stupid Force."

Immediately the piece of wood rose from the table, softly hovering one foot above. This kind of technique was not one Kai particularly favored, though he was capable of it well enough.

"How...," the young brown-haired boy muttered as he stared upon the levitating object. "Ugh, how come you can do it so easily?"

"Practice, for one," Kai replied, pointing with his index finger then flicking his wrist, causing the block to spin about rapidly. "Proper understanding, for another."

"What? What don't I understand?"

"Anything," the blonde youth once again interjected, still getting laughs from their other friends. "Come on, Zayne. Haven't you listened to what the Masters have been teaching us?"

"I have too been listening!" the boy shot back. "I just... It's just not as easy for me as it is for you, Shad."

Lugo moved the wooden square to come to rest in the palm of his hand then. "How about we try something a little different then?"

The teenage Padawan then placed the block carefully back atop the table. "I want you to stare at it for a couple of seconds, okay? Now... tell me what you see."

Zayne looked at the piece of wood for a moment, then turned to look upon the Lugo with ridiculing eyes. "It's a wooden block... How long have you been in the Order?"

The boy's friends openly laughed a little louder this time. Kai ignored the taunt. "Alright. Now, try to move it."

"I've done that already. It doesn't work!"

"Come on, just humor me. Nothing to lose, everything to gain, right?"

The young boy sighed heavily, the skepticism apparent in his expression. He then turned back to face the block, staring upon it with pointed focus, then raised both his hands and directed them at it, tensing the muscles within his arms.

Again the wooden block stirred, but only enough to barely be noticeable, shifting slightly to the left and right and nothing more.

"Ugh..." young Zayne cried out in frustration, clenching his fists and teeth. "See? Nothing..."

"Alright – now, close your eyes."

The young boy once again looked skeptically upon the teenager. "What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why? What will that do?"

"Just a guess, but I think it will make it so you can't see."

His friends quickly getting another laugh at his expense, the boy grumbled loudly before complying. "Alright, they're closed. Now what?"

He's rather impatient for one so young. "Now... try to lift it again, but do not open your eyes."

"How can I do that if I cannot see where it is?"

"Trust the Force to guide your senses. Use it to know where the block is."

Breathing out a heavy breath, Zayne cleared his thoughts and attempted to do as the Padawan suggested. His focused his mind upon what he could sense within the Force. Usually such proved rather difficult for him, but... with his eyes closed he found that he was less distracted, and that what he saw was slightly clearer than usual.

He sensed his friends. He sensed the Padawan standing next to him. And... he sensed the block sitting upon the table, but only vaguely.

"I... I see it."

"Good, focus on what you see," Kai answered in a calm voice. "Now, using that sight and that sight alone, reach out as if you were going to grab it. Keep your mind calm and clear."

Keeping his breathing slow and his eyes shut, the youngling reached forward with his hands. In his mind he felt the ripples of his motions, which reached out farther than he knew his arms did. And as those ripples descended upon the piece of wood, he could feel it. "I have it."

"And now... lift."

As he began to bring his arms up, Zayne saw the object within his mind begin to rise as well, as though gravity had loss all power over it.

"Now... open your eyes."

The youngling slowly allowed his sight to return to him, finding his arms held in the air. And the wooden block hovering effortlessly in front of him.

The boy's eyes bulged then, a wide grin appearing on his face as he was overwhelmed with excitement. "I did it! I can't believe that worked!"

"Neither can I..." Lugo muttered as if shocked by the success. "Not bad, kid. Keep practicing like that, and you'll soon be lifting speeders and star ships with your eyes open."

The boy suddenly became somewhat standoffish in his manner as he now seemed to have trouble looking the teenager in the eye. "Hey, uh, thanks.. really."

"My pleasure." The young Guardian smiled warmly, then holding out a hand. "Your name is Zayne?"

"Yeah, that's right. Zayne Carrick," the boy answered as they shook hands. Then pointing to his friend across the table. "That's Shad Jelevan, and the others are Kamlin, Oojoh, and Gharn."

The younglings politely waved as their names were called out, which Lugo nodded to in recognition.

"A pleasure Zayne, Shad, Kamlin, Oojoh, Gharn. I'm Kai Lugo." The raven-haired Jedi stood back up then, stretching the ache out of his back. "Well, if you need any more help with anything, I'll be around."

"Okay. Well, thanks again, Kai." Zayne replied, with a friendly smile.

With a final nod and smile, Lugo turned around and walked away to move on to check the next group, leaving Zayne and his friends to their own to continue their activities.

Carrick immediately closed his eyes once again and returned to his attempts to levitate the wooden block, happy that he now had something to show off to his mother when she would come to visit him today.

{(---)}

Jedi Masters were expected to be passive in their manner; to portray a sense of balance and integrity that their students would look up to and be able to appreciate.

Quatra felt she was failing to live up to that image at the moment, smiling as she was. But the young Master could not help herself, finding that she enjoyed the sight of the teenage Padawan walking around the training facility, assisting his younger peers in their activities with gentle direction and kind support, maintaining his sarcastic and light-nature personality all the while.

Would that change the longer Kai remained amongst the Jedi, she wondered? Would he become more like her, like Kavar, like Vandar, or even like Vrook? Or perhaps like Revan? Hopefully none of the above, and especially not the latter.

Would she say the Jedi had changed her own personality over the years? Maybe. It was a difficult thing for her or anyone to perceive themselves from an outward perspective. Perceiving how she has changed over the years was even harder, she knew, especially for someone like herself who lived her life so much in the present whilst focused on her students.

If nothing else, she could say that she was more a dedicated and responsible person because of the Order than what she would have been otherwise, but that could probably be said about every Jedi.

Could the same be said about Kai then, even though he was still only a Padawan? As much as he had devoted himself to tending to the younglings within the Coruscant Depths, was the kindness he was showing now any different?

No one beyond those children from long ago would know the answer to that, leaving the matter an unsolvable enigma.

Quatra silently hoped that that part of him would not change; or at least the part of it that did not prove to be a danger to him. The other part – the one that would send him running instinctively towards his sacrificial death – she hoped that she... that they, would be able to save him from it.

She had thought it cruel of herself to have dug so deeply into Lugo's past as she had whilst they were in her private meditation chamber, though necessary to perceive what was needed. Having used the information contained within his personal record, she had intentionally reminded him of the many things he naturally would have desired to have forgotten. And he had responded as she had hoped he would – releasing the echo he contained within himself out upon the Force.

Yet it had been far weaker than before, like a muffled voice behind a door, and Quatra believed she knew why – the same reason why she found so much comfort within her mediation room, among the vines and ferns, among the flowers and leaves, with not a sound amongst all that life. made it easier to hear the Force, to control one's own mind and thoughts, and to suppress sensations that one desires to keep hidden from all others.

But for why it had become stronger over the years Lugo had spent within the Order – that she did not know, and could not venture to guess.

Why had it become stronger? Where was this new pain and suffering coming from?

She had been lost in her own thoughts for too long, she realized as her sight took focus once again, focusing in on Kai, who was now tending to a student that the teacher knew well. Standing up, the young Master casually walked across the room, approaching the Guardian.

{(---)}

"There is no ignorance..." Kai recited.

"There is knowledge," the young girl next to him recited back.

"There is no passion..."

"There is serenity."

"There is no death..."

"There is the Force."

Kai smiled warmly with satisfaction. "There you go. Simple, right?"

"I hate having to memorize stuff like this," the child pouted loudly with a sour face as she crossed her arms, "isn't there some technique we could all learn to, I don't know, beam this stuff into our heads?"

Lugo chuckled lightly at the idea. "Not unless you're a droid."

He then eyed the youngling suspiciously, "You're not, are you?"

The girl's face twisted then as if insulted. "No, I'm not!"

"You sure," the Guardian asked back in a doubtful tone?

"Yes, I'm sure! How could I not be sure?"

"Maybe you're just programmed to think that you're human. Maybe you're actually a droid sent to spy on us for the evil Jawa Empire – the sworn enemies of the Jedi. Say 'utinni'."

"I'm... what?" The girls expression change to complete confusion.

"Stop teasing her, Padawan," Master Quatra said in a annoyed tone as she walked up to the pair who gazed back at her. "He's playing with you, Bastila. He doesn't really think you're a droid."

The youngling looked back at the Guardian, who had lost the ability to maintain his cynical face and instead laughed behind a toothy smile. "Just trying to get you to smile, Miss Shan. You have such a pretty face, it's a shame to let it look so stressed and miserable all the time."

The youngling looked blankly upon Kai for a long moment, then turning her eyes back to the Jedi Master. "Can I get back to my studies?"

Quarta silently nodded. The young girl then passed Lugo one more glance before turning back around to focus on the datapad she had been going over.

Sighing his dissatisfaction, Kai stood backed up. "If you need more help, young one, please don't hesitate to ask."

She did not reply, seemingly as entrenched in her studies as Kai so often witnessed of Atris.

He then politely left the child to her own, stepping away with the Jedi Master at his side.

"Don't let it bother you, Lugo," Quatra advised once they had walked beyond hearing distance of the young girl. "Bastila is rather new here, herself. And she has not taken well to joining the Order. She still needs time to become adjusted."

"I figured it was something like that." Kai stopped then and turned back around to look at the young girl, able to feel the loneliness streaming off of her.

"Sadly, it is around this period of their lives that the Order finds it best to take them in to begin their training."

Kai eyed the Master curiously then. "Sadly?"

There was a distant look in her eyes as she continued to stare in the child's direction. "Sacrifices are a part of life, Kai. Everyone has to make them. Everyone has to live with them. However, it's hard to expect children to make and live with such things."

Once again, Kai found himself in the dark. "What things? What sacrifices?"

Quatra looked upon the teenage Padawan then with uncertainty in her eyes. She could tell he was not insincere in his obliviousness, but she could not understand how that was. How could he not know of such things as sacrifice? How could he not understand that Bastila was upset that she had been taken away from her par-

…

The aged, empty look in Lugo's eyes... it reminded her that he was different. It reminded her...

"I'm sorry, Kai."

The lack of understanding the Padawan felt quickly turned into confusion. "What for?"

"I... forgot that this might be hard for you to understand," Quatra reluctantly explained. "The reason Bastila is having trouble adjusting – she was very close to her father."

Kai's expression leveled off then, turning back into his usual calm demeanor. "You've nothing to apologize for, Master Quatra."

The Jedi Master stared back at the Padawan, this time with the confusion upon her own face.

"I never had parents," Lugo commented in a matter-of-fact tone, sounding completely devoid of any personal investment in his words. "What she must be feeling right now... You're right. I don't understand."

There was nothing unclear of incomplete about what he had said, and yet Kai found the Jedi Master still staring at him as if something was wrong. He did not know what more to say.

...

Why was she looking at him like that?

What was she thinking?

"Is something wrong, Master Quatra?"

"Kai." Quatra suddenly replied.

"Yes?"

"Your mother and father," she said in a serious tone, signifying an importance in the topic that Kai could not surmise. "You may never have known them, but for abandoning you as they did, how does that make you feel?"

What was she expecting him to say that made her look at him in such a way. "I've... wondered why they would have done it, yes, but I can't say I really felt anything regarding it."

Quatra's expression suddenly became that much more intense, as if Lugo's response somehow spoke of something of grave nature.

"And the young ones you tended to before you joined the Order..." she continued.

Kai found himself remembering the image of those young faces from his time in the depths of Coruscant, but as he was more concerned with the students currently surrounding him, the memory felt cloudy. "What about them?

"All that you went through to protect them..." Quatra slowly went on to say, "did you ever... feel that it wasn't right? Or fair?"

The confused look returned to Lugo's face, and that what was Quatra had hoped would not happen.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, not able to understand the question.

"You were barely alive when you were taken in by the Order," the young Master explained, hoping that she would get a different answer this time. "You were almost dead from all you put yourself through."

Kai continued to look at her the same way – confused and lost at to the Jedi Master's meaning.

"Don't you think that that should not have happened?" Quatra asked in almost a begging tone. "Don't you think that that was wrong for you to have suffered like that?"

The young Guardian did not respond beyond casting the same empty look he always did.

"You nearly lost your life time and time again, Kai." Quatra went on to add, her voice now carrying a hint of aggression. "Does that not matter to you at all?"

"I..." Kai still seemed to have trouble deducing what Quatra was asking him. "I know my death would have made it difficult for the younglings I tended-"

"I'm not asking you how it would have affected them, Kai," the young Master interjected with even more aggression, "I'm asking what it meant to you."

Kai paused for another moment, somewhere between being confused as to what he was being asked and uncertain as to what it meant. But he answered promptly enough to show that he did not have to think hard on it. "Why would it mean anything to me?"

…

He said the very thing that Quatra had prayed against all hopes that he would not.

"You've done enough here."

"What?" Kai responded, caught off guard by the statement.

Quatra face had suddenly gone very stern, as if attempting to hide all emotion. "The session is almost over, so I'll handle the rest."

"I appreciate the offer, Master," Kai responded, trying to sound grateful while still just being confused. "But it's okay. Some of them might still need some guidance, so I'll go ahead and remain until-"

"-I'll handle any questions or needs they might have in the remaining time, Lugo," Quatra once again interrupted in a firm voice. "You were going to go meet with Mical in the training grounds after this, right? He's likely already there waiting for you. I'm letting you go early, Padawan."

She remained stern in her expression the whole time, as though she was forcefully maintaining it. Kai did not understand her sudden drive for him to leave, but could not think of any reason to argue over it. "Well, I appreciate the offer, Master Quatra. Thank you."

"You're... welcome," she replied in what seemed to be her attempt at a calm and even tone.

The tension Kai felt between him and the Jedi Master did not melt away. He did not even understand the reason behind it, only sensing it was there. Unable to think of how to address the sensation and unable to think of anything else to say, Kai simply nodded in acceptance and appreciation, then slowly turning about and heading out the side passage of the activity chamber.

No sooner had Kai disappeared from the room than one of the older students walked up right behind her to ask a question.

"Excuse me, Master," the little boy spoke to the woman's turned back. "I'm having trouble with-"

"-the rest of the session is canceled," Quatra called out loud, only then turning about to face the majority of the mass of Hopefuls. She still maintained her stone look, even as she was met with dozens of staring eyes. "Please clean up your stations and move on to your next class."

She did not wait for the younglings to respond, but immediately turned about and headed out the room in a paced manner, leaving the students staring at her wake, confused as to what what had just happened.

{(---)}

She passed by several among the hallways that noticed her fast pace. The whole time she kept her gaze turned downward, attempting to hide her face. She did not want anyone to see her like this. She was no longer able to hold that stern look she had been struggling to maintain.

But she could not let it sink in. Not yet.

The door to her private chambers came into sight as she rounded the corner. Rapidly she pressed down on the activation pad, causing it to slide open, then stepped through and letting it close behind her.

She was alone now.

Now she allowed it to take hold of her.

Within the darkness of her unlit study, the young Master's head hung low, her breathing shuttering as if cold.

A warmth was building within her eyes, soon proceeding to run down the length of her cheeks.

Tears...

She was crying...

Her hand shot up to cover her mouth as she found herself choking back, overwhelmed by the swell of emotions that had sprung about in that moment between her and Kai, and that she had managed to hold off from consuming her until now.

She understood now. She knew why the echo was getting stronger. And she knew why they had been unable to see the cause. Because they were blind.

Blind! They were all blind, she screamed within her mind! How could none of them have seen it!? How could it have gone unnoticed in all the years that he had been among them! Kavar, Vandar, herself: everyone one of them were blind to it! How could that have been? They were the Jedi!

And they had failed...

Every moment that Kai had been within their Order and none of them had noticed was a failure upon them as his guardians and teachers. So focused were they upon his peculiar nature and its affects that none of them had thought to look at the boy that laid beneath the Force.

Only less than five minutes ago did she herself think to see him in such a way, and only as a passing glance. One look was all it took, and the answer that that had alluded them became so evident that she hated herself for it. It was as if she had held the missing piece of the puzzle within her hand the whole time and was unaware of it because she could not look away from the hole in the image.

How could she have been so blind to what was right in front of her? She was a teacher, a guide. She was meant to be able to help her students in every capacity of their lives – as Jedi and as people. Though she had only known the young Guardian for a count of days, it made her feel none the less guilty in this than any of the other Masters of the Order were.

…

When she had apologized to the young Padawan about overlooking that he never had parents, she had expected to feel an emotional response – a sense of loss or of being deprived – come from the boy. But she felt nothing from him. He did not feel any pain from the matter.

That had caught her attention. For one as young as he was, surely he would feel some sense of pain because of it. Was he not too young to have already experienced the numbness of time? It had made her wonder about other sufferings in Lugo's life: the several years he had pushed himself to the brink of death to fend for the younglings in the Coruscant Depths. She and the other Masters had been so focused on the reason why he was doing it that they had overlooked Kai entirely in the matter. They had been so busy asking themselves what he gained from it to ask why would he have tormented himself like that at all?

And then, while having been standing across from the young Guardian, staring into his emerald green eyes, and seeing no emotion within them in relation to the matter, Quatra had asked another question within her mind. Didn't he care about his own well-being, as all others that lived naturally did?

And then the memories of Kavar's report on the Alleyway Massacre found their way into the woman's thoughts – the part in which the Jedi Master described how he found the young boy sitting quietly in the shadows, covered in painful lacerations and blaster wounds, bleeding profusely, and doing nothing to save his own life...

That was the missing piece, Quatra realized as she had been standing their staring into those green eyes. That was the part that all of them in their ignorance had overlooked.

Yes, even she, the young Master professed to herself in shame. After seeing what she had within her meditation chamber, she had been so certain that the pain that Kai had released upon the Force was a result of suppressed outrage for what had happened to him as a child. She thought it the reason behind his unnatural abilities, and what gave him his survival ability.

She was wrong.

It was not outrage. It was sorrow. Tears. Grief. Pain.

Whatever instinct lying withing Kai Lugo that made him pick up that dagger and kill those three underdwellers in order to protect that young girl back on Coruscant – it did nothing in order to save his own life afterward.

It did not care about his life.

…

Kai did not care about his life. He never did. It was not some instinctual heroism or some passive means of venting anger that drove him to do the brave things he had. Bravery came for those who feared their own suffering yet acted as their conscience dictated. Kai cared nothing about his own suffering, his own losses. He had nothing but his conscience to drive him. For whatever compassion he felt for the sake of others, he did not feel it for his own sake.

He felt no sense of self-value to speak of. In his eyes... he was nothing.

As he had said – why would it have mattered to him whether he lived or died?

"We didn't know..." Quatra whimpered as she crumbled to the ground, covering her face with both hands as her tears of sadness for the boy, and shame for being unable to see it until now, continued to crawl down her cheeks.

They had all failed him. Every moment they had failed to see what he truly suffered from, they had failed him.

"Kai... I'm so sorry. We didn't know. We ... just couldn't see."

Nobody could hear her here.

"I didn't see..."

Nobody could condemn her here.

{(---)}

He had not gone to the training grounds yesterday. After what happened with Revan – after what Master Quatra had told him about his peculiar nature – he felt it best if he avoided picking up a blade until he had at least sorted himself out. With Atris' help, unintentional as it may have been, Kai had found his sense of self-affirmation again. He could trust his hands with a weapon once again.

But he was still hesitant to go back there today. He knew Mical might be waiting for him. Having taken the coward's way out by sending the youngling a note saying that he would not be able to meet with him yesterday, he had promised that today would be absolute. True to his word, Kai was going to go, even if he had to walk there as if having stone bricks tied to his boots.

It seemed almost insane for him to admit to being scared of some adolescent child, but Lugo could not think of any other way to describe what he felt. He was afraid. He feared that Mical would be there waiting for him. Waiting to yell for having blown him off to instead fight that pompous prodigy Revan. Waiting to accuse him of having been reckless and stupid, and of having been out-of-control during that match just like he told Mical never to be. Waiting to turn his back to Kai, just as the Guardian had done to him.

He had hurt Mical, of that he was certain. Maybe not intentionally, but that hardly seemed to matter.

The entrance archway soon came into sight before the young Guardian, the usual sounds of students within training ringing outward. Breathing out a sigh of defeat, Lugo walked the rest of the wall length and turned into the open-aired auditorium.

As expected, he found the place much as he had the last few days he had been in here – the near four-dozen students all busily about, practicing all forms of Jedi combat.

Strangely that consistency did not make Lugo feel any better about being here again, especially as he saw a pair of Padawans currently on the all-too-familiar arena, engaged in a practice bout under the watch of an unrecognized knight.

"Was it too much to hope that they would have dismantled the damn thing..." Kai grumbled under his breath. Doing a quick sweep of the room, he did not spot young Mical amongst the lot.

Had Mical chosen not to show? It would not surprise Kai if that was the case. He decided that he would wait a bit before getting started, not particularly anxious to practice for his own benefit today.

Hoping to blow a few minutes, the raven-haired teenager decided to walk up and stand a good few feet behind the small crowd of students currently watching the bout, an insignificant handful compared the gathering he recalled during his match with Revan, and to spectate along with the rest. Thankfully this time he did not recognize either of the pair currently facing each other on the arena.

"Two and one," the knight firmly stated as the pair of Padawans fell into their combat stances. "Begin."

The two students began their approach on each other, moving with practiced steps, but not exactly confident in their motions from what Kai could see. It was a difficult thing – to read the motions, impulses, and intentions of an opponent, let alone know how to act in response.

{(---)}

Young Lugo's small form practically bounced across the stone tiles of the arena as he flew away from his opponent, losing his grip upon his dulled vibrostaff in the process.

Coming to a stop, the adolescent youth found himself with his face planted in the ground, feeling exhaustion and pain riddled throughout his body. Sweat covered nearly every inch of his skin, and that iron-like taste was on his tongue again – a sign that he had been breathing too hard for too long. Weakly turning his head just enough so that he could open one eye, he looked to his opponent, who stood calmly at the other side of the platform, holding a twin set of training vibroblades within his hands.

"I've told you before, Padawan," Kavar spoke with distaste for the adolescent youngling's predicament, "You mustn't attempt to challenge my physical strength. You're too small for that. Dodge, parry, but do not counter my attacks. You won't be able to hold them back as you are."

He had to try to be certain, Kai joked, making fun of his own stupidity in thinking that perhaps he would be able to hold his own against the famed Jedi Guardian's raw strength.

"Hurry up and grab your weapon again, young Lugo. We are not done just yet."

Without complaint or hesitation, the young boy worked his way back to his feet. He cursed himself for not having controlled his fall better as he limped over to the vibrostaff.

The intensity of his combat training had been like this for nearly a year now, ever since that incident with the speeder that had crashed into the crowded walkway. Kai could not remember the event clearly, only snaps of images and sounds. He remembered the crash. He remembered the screaming civilians running in every direction in a panic.

He remembered the young girl being attacked by those underdwellers, and that he had picked up a dagger one of them had dropped in order to defend that child. After that, things just got blurry in his head. Only one other image was clear within his mind after that: the sight of Kavar pinning him against the wall while the Jedi Master grasped at the wound crossing his own chest with his free hand. A wound that Kai was apparently responsible for, he had come to learn.

"Kai."

The young Padawan awoke from his thoughts at the sound of his name, finding himself staring downward at his weapon as it laid on the ground. He quickly turned his head to look in the Jedi Master's direction.

"I sense your guilt, Lugo. You were thinking about it again," Kavar stated, indifferent in his gaze. "I told you to forget about it."

"Master..." Kai responded in a weak voice. "I just... I don't-"

"-You were not aware of your actions at the time, Lugo," the Guardian interrupted, "you had lost a lot of blood and were near-dead. You could not have known what you were doing."

Kai wished he could believe that, but with the holes in his memory, all he found he had was doubt.

"Think of it this way, Padawan," Kavar added, "I am training you like this so you will never find yourself like that again. I have already shown you combat forms more advanced than any common for someone of your age, and have given you the right to carry a lightsaber, even going so far as to afford you one of your own personal preference."

True enough, the young boy supposed.

"You will achieve nothing by dwelling on something you cannot change. So let's focus instead on the things you can."

It sounded simpler than the young Padawan was finding it to be – letting go of his mistake. Still, he heard the wisdom in the Jedi Master's words enough to listen to them.

Aching with every motion, Kai knelt down and picked up the vibrostaff once again. "One more round then, Master?"

{(---)}

A weak tugging sensation on the back of his robe pulled Kai from his memories. Finding himself staring emptily in the direction of the arena where the pair of students were still amidst their match, he quickly turned around. "Mical?"

The young blonde child stood before him, looking up at him with those big blue eyes of his as if this was the first time they had seen each other in a long time. "Kai?"

They both paused, neither appearing to know what they should say next.

The youngling managed to think up something first. "How... how's your leg?"

"Uh, good, I guess," the young Guardian replied, looking down at it and tapping the tip of his boot against the ground a couple of times to show the validity of his words. "It's still attached, so that must count for something."

The young boy smiled weakly, but refrained from laughing. He was unsure of himself, Kai realized. The boy no longer knew how to react to him... and that bothered Lugo immensely, confirming his own anxieties that that whole incident earlier with him and Revan had indeed frightened and hurt the youngling.

He knew he needed to fix this.

Falling down to one knee, Kai came to eye level with the hopeful, who seemed confused by Lugo's change in stance.

"Mical."

"Ye... yes?"

"I..." Kai found his own anxieties attempting to hold him back. Stabbing through his own fears, he forced himself to continue. "I am so sorry..."

The youngling responded as if completely caught off guard by this. "Wha... why? What for?"

"I was here to train with you, not to engage in some meaningless bout," Lugo explained in a shamed voice, "It was unfair to you, and I know it bothered you."

Young Mical knew he would be lying if he said it did not, but he certainly had not expected the elder student to bring it up like this, let alone apologize. "Kai, you don't really have to apologize."

"Yes, I do," the young Guardian retorted back immediately, smiling warmly to the child. "It's something that a friend does when they've acted like a jerk. And I've acted like a big jerk."

The youngling seemed reluctant to share in the humor – reluctant to smile even anymore. Rather he just stood there for the longest moment, looking back at his senpai with a uneasy expression. "Kai... why did you..."

The small boy paused in his words, either unable to find them, or hesitant to give them voice.

Uncertainty claimed Lugo's expression then. "Why did I what?"

"Why didn't you tell me," Mical finally finished with a touch of aggression in his voice in order to force the words out.

Kai did not respond, completely unable to guess what the youngling was talking about.

"When you fought Revan," the youngling continued, "I mean... I couldn't believe what I was seeing. You were... amazing."

...

Amazing?

No one had ever accused him of being amazing.

Kai did not know what the kid was talking about.

"I mean... you were dodging, and blocking, and attacking, sometimes it looked like all at the same time," the boy seemed to fall into his own words, "you moved too fast for me to even follow, and then dodging all those flying blades-"

"Mical..."

"-and then flying through the air like a hawk, and-"

"Mical!" Kai called out a little louder, snapping his fingers in order to grab the kid's attention. "What exactly is it that I did not tell you?"

"That you were that good," the boy immediately responded this time. "I mean, I knew you were better than me, but I didn't know you were... well, that good."

Of all the things the young boy could have been angry at him about... the young Guardian rubbed at the side of his temple, finding that this was starting to give him a headache. "Why, exactly, is that important to you?"

"I just..." the Hopeful sighed heavily, his gaze falling downward, "I feel like, maybe like I've been a hindrance to you."

Lugo's left hand immediately stretched out and flicked the young boy hard between his eyes.

"Ow! Hey!" the child cried out as he grabbed at his head, "What was that for?"

"For being stupid," Kai immediately responded with heavy irritation in his voice. "I may have been thoughtless in my actions the other day, Mical, but there's a line between being thoughtless and being downright idiotic. If I didn't want to practice with you, I wouldn't practice with you."

The boy gazed at the teenager then, complete perplexity filling his face. "But... why? As good as you are, you can't possibly be getting anything out of it."

"Am I going to have to flick you again?" The seriousness within the Padawan's green eyes made it evident that that was no empty threat. "I enjoy helping you train, Mical. I enjoy having seen how much stronger you've gotten in so little a time. I enjoy that I can flick you on the head and you can't do anything to stop me."

The boy's expression went into something like disbelief as he saw the snide smile upon Kai's lips. That disbelief was quickly replaced with a look of proud offense. "I can too stop you."

"Not as you are now, you can't," the elder student replied, the arrogant smirk quickly changed into a friendly grin. "But I can fix that, if you'll let me."

The young boy quietly looked up to his senior, quickly bearing a smile of his own. "I'll make you pay for every stinging blow before you go back to Coruscant."

"I'm sure you will. So... let's get started."

Kai began to walk in the direction of the nearest wall stand, the youngling right in tow next to him.

This had turned out better than he had hoped. All the anxieties he had to fight pass in order to face the young boy again had melted away now, and he felt the relief washing through him.

All things considered, the day had been a very enjoyable one for him.

{(---)}

"He's suicidal?"

"Yes, Master Vandar," Quatra weakly confirmed as she stood before him in the Council Chamber, hanging her head in an attempt to hide her dry red eyes.

Vandar sat quietly within his chair for several seconds, taking in the revelation with his own feelings of distress as to what it meant. Nothing within Quatra's voice hinted at doubt or uncertainty, making him inclined to believe her words and all that they meant. "This is... an unexpected development, Master Quatra. We've never seen anything to indicate such a claim before."

"We weren't looking in the right place, Master Vandar," the young teacher corrected, her statement aimed as much at herself as at anyone else.

"What exactly brought you to this conclusion?"

"After his confrontation with Revan, I had told Kai to come speak with me privately in my chambers that night ," Quatra explained, not having the strength of conviction to hide anything anymore. "I... decided that after their entanglement, it was unfair for him to be left oblivious to the possible danger he places himself in."

"You told him of his bonding?"

"No. Only of his instinctual drive to place himself at risk for the sake of others. I spoke nothing of the... effects he exhibits on those around him. But I also confronted him about his past, hoping to recreate the instance that lead to the phenomenon, and I was successful."

"Where was this?"

"In my meditation chamber. I had a suspicion that Lugo could maintain a limited amount of control over its intensity of the echo by keeping his mind clear and focused, and used my chamber as a means of assisting him with it."

"That was a big risk, Quatra," Vandar noted with a tone of objection.

"Yes, but I felt it necessary in order to help him, and to see if it could occur without bringing more harm to anyone else."

Again, the elderly Jedi Master could not say he condoned the teacher's actions, but again that proved a moot point for them now. But something about the woman's choice of words caught his attention then, and his brow twisted to indicate it. "More harm?"

The young woman raised her head then, needing to look into the little alien's eyes to find the strength she needed to say what she knew she must now. "I lied to the Council, Master Vandar, and I forced my students to lie as well. On that day when the echo occurred, my class was in deep meditation on the outskirts of the Dantooine Slopes. The echo tore through their entrenched minds like a frightful gale, causing many of them to scream in agony from the sensation, a few even so overpowered by it that they passed out. Yet after they had withdrawn from their meditations, none of them seemed capable of sensing the presence of the echo. And I ordered them not to speak of it."

She expected him to react almost immediately to her confession in some fashion: anger, disappointment, disgust – any of the several emotions Quatra was feeling towards herself right then. Instead, Vandar's expression did not show any sign of reacting beyond continuing to look back at her with his calm, clear gaze. All he did in response was ask a simple question.

"Why did you do this, Quatra?"

She needed not to think on her answer, having reminded herself of it every day since having made that decision. "I was afraid, Master Vandar. I was afraid for Lugo, and how the Council would react to this. For whatever danger Kai represents, I could not find it within myself to condemn him for it. And I did not want the other Masters doing so."

The little green alien listened to her words with quiet contemplation, and if it was any other Master, Quatra would have been doubtful in his intent. But there was a reason that she had called for Vandar and not the others.

"Quatra, I am afraid I must inquire about your state of mind."

If it had been any other situation, or anyone other than Vandar, such would have seemed a rather offensive inquiry, but given the nature of Lugo's ability to form bonds, it was not improper to have such concerns.

The irony of it made the young woman smile slightly in amusement as she gave her response. "I am a teacher, Master Vandar. I have always held my loyalty to the protection and guidance of my students above all else. And I never expected that such a loyalty would come into conflict with my role as a Councilmember. But I also never expected to have such a unique student like Kai Lugo. So no, I do not feel that Kai has had any influence on my decisions. I made them knowingly. Willingly. I also don't feel that my decision to hide the incident has placed the other students in danger, though I know some of the other Masters would not share that view. But I believe Kai's place within the Order is worth the chance. We did not take him in only to cast him aside when he needed us."

Vandar's eyes fell away for a moment as his hand began to lightly rub his chin, as if in deep contemplation. "I will have to think more upon this before deciding what should be done, Master Quatra. For now, I will not speak of your actions to the other Masters. I am not validating your decision to hide this from us, though I understand your reasons. But you must remember Quatra, it is not just Kai's life we are responsible for. We are trusted to keep all of our students safe. And though it may seem unfair, we cannot trade the possible endangerment of many for the sake of one."

"I know," the young teacher conceded in a defeated tone.

"Regardless, the danger Kai represents to the other students is not evident at this point, despite what happened to your class out on the fields, so I feel we should not act upon it until we know more," Vandar went on to add, "I am more concerned about what you said you have discovered about Kai. That he seeks his own death... how did you come to believe this?"

Thinking back on it now, the young Master ordered her thoughts to better explain herself. "As I said – during our conversation within my chambers, I managed to perceive the echo far more closely than when we first felt it. Much of the sound, the pain, was as I suspected, Master Vandar – thousands of voices resounding together, intensifying the echo as a whole. Kai carries the suffering of the younglings he tended to in his years prior to the Order within him still. But the reason why it has become stronger was something else entirely – a different source of pain."

"Another source?"

"Himself – Kai is the source that is feeding the echo, and making it stronger. It is his own pain that fills him now, yet he is completely oblivious to it."

That remarked seemed to confuse the Master, as if he himself could not understand how that was possible. "He is oblivious to his own suffering? How can that be?"

It was getting harder for Quatra to keep herself decent as she knew she must. Attempting to press past the swell of emotions within her, she continued. "I discovered this but an hour ago, when I spoke with him whilst amidst handling a training session. The subject of parents had come up, and I had apologized to the Padawan for not considerate to the fact that he was an orphan. But he rejected by apology – saying he felt nothing concerning it. Much to my horror, I found he was telling the truth. I had never met someone so young who felt nothing towards the fact that they were abandoned. And the fact that Lugo did struck me as unnatural and raised my suspicions that something was wrong that we had overlooked about him. I then asked him about all the suffering and abuse he went through as a child, thinking – hoping – that it would cause some sort of emotional reaction within him. Something that would counter my own fears. But he..."

Quatra trailed off for a bit, covering her eyes in a final effort to hold back the grief. And though Vandar saw this, he could not bring himself to condemn her for it.

Taking a moment longer, Quatra slowly pulled her hand away and opened her eyes once again, a coldness within them now guarding her resolve. "Kai... he has no sense of self-value beyond what others give him. No pride beyond what others afford him. Whatever pain and suffering he endured in the Coruscant Depths, unless it was relative to those he took care of, it was meaningless to him. The wounds on his body, his mind, to have been abandoned by his parents within that awful place – it doesn't reach him. He cares nothing for the fact that he nearly starved to death in that desolate place, or that he almost died after his confrontation with those underdwellers in the Alleyway Massacre. Seeing that clearly now, I came to realize something we had overlooked – that if it had not been for our intervention, Kai would have just allowed himself to starve and bleed to death without any attempt to save his own life. He did not want to save it."

As he listened to Quatra's words, Vandar found that the image they painted began to quickly make sense to him, like puzzle pieces falling into place. The look on his face quickly became very troubled.

"We thought that this uncontrollable nature of his only drove him to help others," Quatra continued to explain. "We were wrong, and may he forgive us for it. Kai – part of him is looking for a reason to die – to validate his existence by offering his very life to a cause. It's what he's always done. He wanted to die for those younglings he gathered to him. He wanted to die for that little girl he defended from that pack of thugs. He wanted to die... long before either of us even knew him, Master Vandar. He just doesn't know it. And I believe the only thing that kept him going all those years was the desire to prove useful to the Jedi now."

It was not an issue that either of the two Masters were familiar in dealing with – a student among their number who subconsciously was seeking his own death. As much as they tried to model themselves on being individuals above the trivial squabbles of a personal life, this was forcing them to look in a direction that they were unaccustomed to admitting to – a sense of self-value. Jedi were meant to find value in their lives by devoting themselves to the causes of the Order, but that did not mean that they were not meant to value their lives as individuals as well. Indeed, the two Masters would both argue that it was the value of life as individuals that brought them the joy they found in being Jedi.

So what were they to do when faced with a life that held no value for itself?

"You believe that this tendency is a passive response to the pain he's suffering. Yet how is he not aware of it?"

"I..." It threatened to overwhelm her again. Not wanting to let her emotions control her anymore than they already had, she bit down hard on her bottom lip for a moment, the pain being enough to pull her from the grasp of the overwhelming feelings. This... situation – the emotional weight of it was not something she was used to. "I can only imagine what sacrifices he forced upon himself in order to survive in the underbelly of Coruscant, Master Vandar. He is but a young teen, and yet from what I saw within his record, his body is riddled with scars where he has been shot, beaten, burnt and stabbed – and I do not know what horrid memories lie within his mind from all those years ago. I believe he had to find a way to survive all that, both physically and mentally, and I think that this was how he did it – by instinctively cutting off his awareness of his own suffering. But it didn't disappear. It found another way to express itself – through the echo that we have experienced. And if left alone, I have no doubt that it will eventually destroy him. It's already tried."

The magnitude of the situation was graver than either of the two Masters were accustomed to, and far from being similar to anything that they had faced before. Saving their students from themselves was a more common practice of Jedi Masters in the sense of guiding their pupils passed their egos, pride, and arrogance – all the delusions of self-greatness born of their powers. How were they then to save a student who had none of these qualities – who saw no value in his own life – and to help him see and accept the pain he was suffering so that he may overcome it?

"The Council will be meeting tomorrow morning," Vandar went on to say. "I will leave it up to you on how, or whether, we should bring this to the attention of the other Masters, Quatra."

The young woman's eyes glared in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I believe that you truly do have the young Padawan's best interests at heart, as a Jedi and as a teacher. The Council's duty is to act on the behalf of our Order as a whole. But... I too have misgivings about whether the Council would be able to accept Kai for what he is."

That was not something Quatra ever thought to hear from the elderly Jedi.

"But I must warn you, Master Quatra – if Lugo causes another event like the last, then I'm afraid that our time to assist him will be at an end. We cannot, will not, risk the well being of our other students anymore than we are doing so now."

"I know, Master," Quatra replied with a nod of acceptance.

"His time here is almost through, Master Vandar. He will be going back to Coruscant in two days. What can I possibly do for him then?"

The elderly Master was about to respond when another voice cut in.

_"Excuse me, Masters."_

Quatra turned about to find a protocol droid walking into the Council Chamber.

_"I apologize for interrupting you, but I have a note to deliver to you from Knight Atris." A_ small slip of folded paper resided within the machine's hand.

"A note? Where is she?" Quatra asked.

_"She is currently within the Conclave's temple, and was in deep meditation before I left."_

The piece of paper softly levitated out of the droids grasp and into Master Vandar's awaiting hand. He then calmly unfolded it and read its content. A couple of seconds passed before he finished, at which point Vandar lowered the parchment from in front of him and Quatra could see the deep look of concern return to his eyes.

"Droid," the elderly Master spoke, "Please locate Padawan Lugo and bring him here as quickly as possible."

_"Yes, Master," _the machine replied, immediately turning about and heading out of the room.

"What's going on," Quatra asked, sensing that something unfavorable had occurred?

"The situation has apparently changed even more, Master Quatra," Vandar replied as he handed the note over to the young teacher.

Quatra read through the document rapidly, and finding her reaction matched her senior's.

"It seems that Kai and Atris may be here for a little while longer than expected." Vandar explained.


	11. Chapter 11

"What was that about you making me pay?" Kai asked coyly as he stood at ease while Mical once again walked over to pick his vibroblade. "You know, I hear chain dancers are in high demand on Nal-Hutta right now."

"While I'm sure you could teach me all I would need to know for it, Kai, no thanks," Mical grumbled as he walked back to his starting position.

Lugo chuckled in amusement. "Well at least your ability to think of a comeback is improving if nothing else."

The pair of friends had been practicing blocks for near half-an-hour now, with the raven-haired Guardian relentlessly putting the pressure on Mical to keep his guard up.

"Alright, your best is three consecutive blocks," Kai remarked as he lifted his own weapon up from his side. "Think you can get to four before your blade flies from your hands?"

"Only if you quit cheating."

"Cheating? How am I cheating?"

"You keep circling me while you attack. How am I supposed to properly block your blade when I can't see where it's coming from half the time?"

"Oh-for-the-love-of... what do you want me to do, Mical? Approach you slowly from the front and attack you from the same position every time?"

"Is that so much to ask?"

"I don't know. When next you're about to be engaged by someone who's trying to kill you, you ask them to be fair and predictable and see how they react. Maybe they'll also be generous enough to turn off any shields they have on as well."

Sometimes it felt like this kid deserved to be flicked on the head until the skin between his eyes went raw. "Are you ready yet or not?"

"I'm ready, I'm ready," Mical shot back, falling again into his stance. "I'll get four blocks this time."

"Yeah right, and I'll make Master by the end of the week," Lugo countered as he prepared to attack once again.

"Excuse me," a voice cut in before they two friends could commence.

Turning about, Kai found a Padawan near his own age standing behind him – a girl with long, dark-red hair and deep-brown eyes. "Yes?"

The girl seemed to become standoffish from the sound of the young Guardian's voice. "I... uh... your name is Kai Lugo, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Kai replied evenly, unsure of what this was about. "Can I help you?"

"No... uh," she brought her arms before her and began to intertwine her fingers, as though she was extremely anxious about something. "I... I'm Ryala, and I... we-"

She then looked off to the side of the room at a pair of female students standing together who were apparently watching them. Almost as immediately as Kai noticed them, the pair seemed to retract from his attention, lowering their eyes and turning their heads as if his gaze somehow made them uncomfortable.

"We saw your match the other day against Revan," Ryala continued, a tremble within her voice proclaiming her hesitance to speak. "And we... well – we wanted to say, um..."

Lugo suddenly thought he knew what this was about. "I see..."

The girl's eyes jumped up then. "Huh?"

"I am sorry about what happened," Kai added, feeling as though he understood why he was being approached like this.

"Sorry?" Ryala muttered, now seeming to be the confused one. "Sorry for what?"

"For having done something so reckless and dangerous," Kai replied evenly. "We shouldn't have taken it to such a level, and I'm sorry if it bothered you or anyone else."

The teenage girl looked upon Lugo with a taken-aback gaze in her eyes. Her expression quickly changed into an amused smile as she covered her mouth in order restrain her laughter.

Kai could not think what it was that she found so funny.

"That's not it," she explained. "We just wanted to say that you were pretty amazing during that fight - the way you held your own so adamantly."

The girl seemed to become very anxious then as she realized what she had said. "I mean...! It was an amazing match – with you being one of the strongest-! I mean... not that it matters! Jedi aren't about being strong! There about being wise and smart and... ! But you are amazing for a Padawan. And brave, the way you defended your friend against Bandon that time."

Kai remained silent with crooked eyebrows as the girl continued, not for the life of him having any idea what it was that she was trying to say.

"I mean...! It was a kind thing for you to do! Not that Jedi aren't expected to defend their friends! Well, not from other Jedi, but it was really brave of you to stand up to Bandon the way you did that time – even though you apparently were so much stronger than him, given your fight with Revan. But it was still nice."

She didn't seem to want to stop talking long enough for him to get a word in – going from one mangled sentence to the next without pause. All-the-while, Kai continued to look at her with confusion in his expression.

"And we couldn't believe that match you had the other day – with you and Revan fighting the way you did, and how you managed to stand up to him. He's actually a nice person, but a little self-absorbed most of the time, training alone at night rather than with anyone. I guess that's to be expected, since he's one of the prodigal students here."

"O... kay..." Did she approach him just to talk about Revan? "I... don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get back to training-"

"- actually, that's why we wanted to talk to you," Ryala immediately said without missing a beat. "We were wondering if you... um, well if you would like us- I mean! Not that you like us, what I meant was... would you like training... with your friend too. It would be really nice, really, and you're really good, and we'd like to, and you're really cute, and we never get... never get, uh..."

Ryala's expression changed right then from being extremely anxious to being utterly shocked, a redness suddenly crawling it's way up her neck to fill her face. "I... uh... I got to..."

Without another word, the teenage girl turned on her heel and quickly walked off in the direction of her friends, who huddled around her once she reached them.

Kai merely stared blankly in her direction for a long moment, completely dumbfounded as to what had just happened. She had started to ramble on to the point that Lugo was losing his ability to follow what she had been saying, and before he knew what to think, she walked away in a hurried pace.

"What was that about?" Mical asked as he walked up to his friend, having been waiting patiently the whole time at a hearing distance.

"I have no idea," Lugo replied in all honesty. He then proceeded to turn back around, intent on continuing where they had left off. As he did though, his eyes caught sight of something a bit strange.

More than a few of the other students were looking in his direction, but quickly turned away once they noticed his attention.

Kai could only continue to furrow his brow in confusion, at a loss as to why this day just seemed to be getting weirder by the minute. He decided to ignore it. "Let's just get back to it, Mical."

"Yeah, sure," the youngling agreed, turning about and walking back to his starting position. He then raised his weapon to the ready. "Four it is this time."

Kai twirled his vibrostaff for a second, getting the blood flowing withing his muscles once again and his mind back on the task at hand, then fell within his own stance. "Alright, here we-"

"Excuse me, Kai Lugo?" Another voice cut into the young Guardian's train of thought, causing him to grumble under his breath. This was getting annoying really quick.

Once again turning about, Lugo, to his surprise, came to find a group of five students waiting for him. The one who called out to him stood in front of the rest, a teenage Zeltron, his skin of almost a blood-red hue.

"Nice to meet you, Kai. I'm Rad Teizz," the young alien proclaimed with a confident tone and a cheerful demeanor, bluntly sticking his hand out at the young Guardian.

Kai paused for a moment before slowly raising his hand to shake the Zeltron's, eying the other students in the group as he did: two human boys, a girl, and a female Nagai.

"We wanted to say congrats on that fight of yours with Revan. That was really impressive, the way you managed to handle yourself against him," Rad added. "So is it true what they've been saying – that you've been trained in combat by Master Kavar on Coruscant?"

The way he spoke Kavar's name – it almost seemed to imply a sense of reverence for the Jedi Master. "I learned what I know of combat from Kavar, yes."

"I knew it," one of the boys replied with vindication. "I knew it was true."

"I can't believe it," the other one stated with a shake of his head. "Even I've partitioned for combat training under him. He never accepted."

"Obviously our friend here was more up to his standard," the Zeltron replied with surety in his conclusion as he looked back upon Lugo. "Given what we saw in the arena, I'm not surprised."

This again? First Mical, then that girl Ryala, and now this? Why was everyone making a big deal out of that match he had against Revan? It was a stupid, meaningless fight, nothing more. "Listen, uh, we really need to get back to our training."

"Training, yes!" Teizz stated with zest in his voice. "That's what we wanted to ask you about. We were hoping you would be willing to training with us."

"Train with you?" Kai echoed back, at a loss for why he was being approached like this.

"Actually," the Nagai interjected, seeming a bit standoffish, "We were hoping that you might be able to provide us some guidance."

"What, I..." Kai suddenly noted the flare of enthusiasm that sparked with the eyes of the group. They apparently really wanted this. "I'm not a-"

"We're not asking you to give us a full lesson," Rad quickly clarified, holding his open hands out in front of him as to appear less invasive in his mannerisms, something Kai appreciated as he was uncomfortable from such forceful attention. "Just, you know, maybe show us how you did some of the things you did during that match you had."

Why were people bringing it up as if it was something to be impressed by? So he hold his own in a scruff... who cared? It was not as if he was particularly skilled in the ways of the Force, or the ways of the Jedi. Regardless, he was not interested in playing tutor anymore today, having had enough of it this morning.

"I'd like that too," interjected a small voice.

Kai spun around to find Mical standing idly behind him, looking up at him with a somewhat excited expression, which left the green-eyed Guardian even more perplexed. "Wait, what about your training?"

"We can continue with it tomorrow," the young boy replied dismissively towards the concern. "And I'd really like to try something different."

Different? The kid couldn't hold his weapon after three strong attacks, and already he wanted to move on to something else?"

"There, you see – no problem," Rad added. "So what do you say? One lesson?"

Looking back upon his young friend and then upon the Zeltron and his companions, Lugo breathed out a heavy sigh of defeat. He couldn't say he really wanted to do this, but with even Mical vying for it. "Alright, everyone grab a vibroblade and follow me. We're going to need some room."

The group of five students quickly walked off towards the nearest weapon stand, leaving Kai and Mical alone once again for a moment.

"You just couldn't make it to four, could you?"

The youngling looked up upon his sempai, his eyes even and steady. But the grin on his lips gave him away.

"Go put this away," Lugo commanded with superiority in his voice as he lightly tossed his own vibroblade to the child.

{(-)}

"Come to Dantooine?"

Even though Kavar stood as nothing more than a translucent, bluish figure on Quatra's desk, the uncertainty in his expression was easy to make out even in his miniature proportion. For Quatra was telling him that he was needed at the Enclave.

That could not bode well for the young Guardian.

"What happened?"

"We're not certain," the young woman replied, the stress evident in her voice. As she sat at her desk, the young Master fumbled with a note in her hands. "Atris has retreated to the Enclave's temple and is refusing any visitors at the time. She has stated that something distressing has befallen her and requires isolation until she can come to terms with it."

"Something distressing? What does that mean?"

"She didn't say. She only states that it is something she must deal with on her own."

Quatra looked away then, the stress on her face increasing ever slightly, enough for the Guardian to notice. "She also says that..."

"What?"

The young teacher looked back upon her friend then. "That Kai is responsible for this somehow... and that he needs to be kept away from her..."

Kavar's eyes became grave as his expression became hard. A worrisome silence fell between the two Jedi Masters as they contemplated the consequences of such words. Severe consequences...

"I'll be on a shuttle within the hour."

With that, the hologram of the warrior faded out, leaving Quatra sitting the darkness of her room alone. Alone to think on what was to come now when the other Masters learned of this.

She had only just discovered the source of Kai's unique nature, and the reason why he welcomed suffering unto himself. She had only barely begun attempting to think of how they could help him overcome it, and save him from the death he subconsciously coveted.

Was it already too late?

…

She needed to get back to the Council Chamber before the other Masters and Lugo arrived.

{(-)}

They had moved to a more open area of the training grounds – among many small groups that dotted the proximity. It was enough for them to each have enough space for practice. Mical took to a spot close to where Lugo stood at the front, visibly excited but a little nervous that this all may prove over his head.

"Alright," Kai muttered with a heavy breath, not sure exactly what he planned to do. "Was there anything specific that you wanted to try?"

Rad and the others looked amongst each other then. It took only a moment before one of the two human boys called out. "How about that first technique you used? Can we try that?"

"What one was that?" Kai asked, his own memory of the fight not really intricate in detail, as fast and as intimate as it had been.

"I remember," Mical replied, "It was when you made your first approach on Revan – where you kinda... just appeared right in front of him."

"Yeah, that's the one," the Padawan affirmed.

"Oh, that," Lugo muttered with partial disinterest in the topic. "It's not as impressive as you might think. It's a matter of taking the Force Speed technique and super-charging it for a moment. Some have called it Force Dash, but I don't think it really has a name."

Kai himself had learned of it more on a whim than anything intended, having experimented with the Force Speed ability to the point of discovering this further means of use.

"It's kinda interesting," he went on to add, "the hard part's not starting the technique. It's stopping yourself without loosing control."

The young Guardian recalled the first time he successfully attempted the maneuver, no one had informed him that he needed to use the Force to stop as well, resulting in a rather humiliating display at the Coruscant Temple of him crashing into a group of Jedi Masters that had been touring the training grounds. From what he heard, Kavar was using the incident as an example to warn other Padawans from such ill-fated attempts.

Kai looked in the direction of the student who first mentioned it. "I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

The teenage boy seemed almost surprised that Lugo was addressing him directly. "Me? I'm Hess Terrinson." He then pointed to the girl and other boy in the group. "That's Minasa Oppar and Ectan Javere, and the Nagai is Aza Vazzieh."

"Nice to meet all of you." Lugo politely nodded to each of the other members of the group in turn. "Hess, stand about right there, facing me."

The young Guardian pointed to a spot on the ground about ten feet away from him.

The Padawan complied without question, taking to the spot and looking back at Kai.

"Alright, watch carefully." Kai then took a deep, cleansing breath before slowly bending his knees as though he were about to sprint into a run. In an act that had somewhat become second-nature to him, he gathered the energies of the Force within his body, just enough to sustain the Force Speed technique. Feeling the rumble within his muscles as the energy remained constant, he then pulled forth even more, focusing the excess into the muscles of his legs. Once he had that, he released the power in a quick burst, launching himself forward.

The ground seemed to race by beneath his feet in that single instance, though he was only partially aware of it. Almost immediately he then countered that very same momentum with the Force, effectively using it to grab at his own body and bring himself to an immediate stop, right in front of where Terrinson was stranding.

As drawn out as it may have seemed to him, to the Padawans surrounding him, it had been in the span of less than a second.

Hess jumped back in fright at finding Lugo now standing right in front of him, the force of the air hitting him in recognition of the speed in which the green-eyed student had been moving. "What the hell!"

"See?" Kai calmly spoke, holding his arms out next to him. "It's nothing too difficult, barely requiring that much more energy than what it takes to lift a fifty-pound rock in the air."

His words seemed to do little to relieve the look of amazement the younger Padawan was giving him. Turning about, Kai found the rest of the group giving him similar expressions, Mical as well.

…In fact, now that he looked closely, he spotted that more than a couple of the other students surrounding them were looking at him with the same enraptured gazes.

"Okay..." Kai said as he attempted to ignore the looks he was getting. "Now that you're seen it up close, who wants to give it a try?"

The looks of amazement he was getting from the group quickly changed then, but not for the better. They now looked at him as if he had told a bad joke.

He did not understand their hesitance. "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think we're ready to do anything like that?" Rad asked for the rest of the group.

"Hey, you're the ones who wanted me to show you how," Kai countered, "and it's not that hard. If you can do the Force Speed technique, then you'll be able to do the dash after a little practice."

Now they were looking at him like he had just missed the point.

It took him a second to realize it.

"Wait... are you saying none of you know how to use Force Speed?"

A heavy silence was all the response Kai received, along with evasive eyes.

"Well... I guess that kinda makes this lesson pointless," the young Guardian proclaimed with a sour grunt, not understanding why any of them would not know what he considered such a fundamental ability. "So what do you know then?"

"Pushing, pulling, lifting, most of the basic techniques" Minasa answered for the rest, "Though Aza's been studying how to use the Mind Trick lately."

"Really?" Kai found himself slightly intrigued by this as such a technique was not something he had much experience with. He looked over to the Nagai. "You can use the Mind Trick?"

The young alien turned her eyes downward, seemingly becoming uncomfortable as the young Guardian spoke directly to her. "Yes, I can."

"I'd like to see it, if you don't mind."

Vazzieh gracefully passed her open hand in front of her. "You don't really want to see it."

"Nevermind," Kai said with a disinterested tone. "I guess I don't really want to see it."

Suddenly for a reason that was beyond Lugo, the other humans in the group and the Zeltron bursted out into intense laughter, with Minasa walking over and giving Aza a light pat on the shoulder, causing the Nagai to smile with more confidence.

"Okay..." Kai muttered, desiring to move on as everyone calmed back down. "So what else would you want to try?"

"How about one of your lightsaber forms," suggested Ectan.

"Lightsaber forms – okay." That was something he felt more comfortable trying to teach anyway. "So what one's do you already know."

"Shii-cho and Soresu, mostly" Rad replied, "We get to practice Makashi a little bit, but the Masters generally don't like Padawans learning how to fight each other."

"Alright. Any other?"

No one in the group responded then, which made it easier for Kai.

"Good, then everyone get in a spot with plenty of space and we'll get started."

The group of students obeyed, each moving to position with a decent amount of distance between each other as when they practice with their actual lightsabers.

This was easily a field of expertise in which Kai knew he had an abundant amount of knowledge, at least for a Padawan, so he would not have trouble in giving some introductory level guidance. But as he thought a bit more on it, he realized that it was probably not a good idea for him to try teaching some of the more... intense forms. Kavar had warned him before that some of the techniques he had been taught by the famed Jedi Guardian were not abilities that he should flaunt. That likely included him attempting to show them to his fellow Padawans. Still, he had other tricks.

"Everybody ready? Good." Reaching behind him and beneath his robe, Kai drew forth his own weapon. And even though they had all seen it before, the group of Padawans were each still fascinated by the double-bladed lightsaber.

"Hey, how do I get one of those," Hess asked with covetous eyes?

"By proving to your Master that you won't accidentally kill yourself with it," Kai answered flatly.

With all the training he had been doing the vibroblades as of late, Lugo honestly missed having the opportunity to use a weapon more to his preference.

"Now, I'm going to show you some basic stances and maneuvers for the style Shien, which is a form designed to deflect attacks, but with more offensive capabilities."

Kai figured it a good form to introduce, given their training in Soresu. It would be slightly familiar to them, yet also present them with something new as well.

Pressing down one of the activation plates, a single energy blade of blue light sprung forth from the young Guardian's weapon. He still wasn't a big fan of the color.

"Alright, this form can use the standard, centered stance," Kai explained, taking to the position by holding his lightsaber with both hands, placing his feet evenly apart, and holding the beam outward in front of him. "But I myself prefer the secondary stance, which involves holding the weapon behind you with only your dominant hand."

The green-eyed tutor then spun the blade about within his left hand, reversing his grip upon it and placing the blade behind his back. The group, after taking a second to study what it was that their teacher had actually done, began to attempt to mimic him, albeit without the flashy spinning of their own weapons. It took a second for some, but they each eventually took to the position.

"You'll notice that my body and feet have also shifted to where my torso is held at an angle and my legs are more horizontally apart than vertically," Kai continued, "This stance is understandably less balanced than the other, but it does come with some significant advantages if practiced with care. First and foremost, it's easier to run this way if you've got to close a long distance between you and your opponent. Secondly, it grants you a psychological tactic."

"Psychological tactic?" Hess echoed. "What psychological tactic?"

"Well, suppose I was an enemy," Kai explained, "and you are planning to attack me. Tell me – which stance would you be less indulged to attack - this," Kai quickly switched back to the standard stance. A second later he switched back to the secondary stance with the blade behind him. "Or this."

Thinking about it like that, the Padawan realized that indeed he would feel more inclined to attack when Lugo was in the second position.

"People feel less threatened when they don't see a weapon's being pointed at them, even if they are aware that you have one," Kai explained with an amused smile. "It's a feeble ruse that the untrained are likely to fall for by being overly reckless in their assaults."

From the nods the other students were giving him, apparently his explanation was resonating.

"Alright, now lets practice the basic maneuver of the form." Turning around once again, the young Guardian fell back into his stance. In a motion that he had practiced for more days than he cared to remember, the trained swordsman quickly swung the lightsaber out in front of him, spinning it about on his right and left side, then bringing it back behind him. "Once you get that maneuver down, the rest become a simple matter of combining techniques as required by your situation: whether your parrying a melee attack and countering-"

As he often did when practicing alone, Kai visualized an aggressor running up upon him and attacking with a blade. He then performed the move once again, this time shifting his body about as if deflecting an attack towards his right and following through with a wide horizontal swipe upon the imaginary enemy, and finishing off back in first position.

" -or, as is more common with this form," he continued, "facing off against a bunch of blaster wielders."

A gang of thugs now stood before the green-eyed Padawan, a weapon in each hand pointed at him. Reacting as he had trained himself to do, Kai activated the other blade of the lightsaber. The group responded in kind, letting loose a barrage of blaster bolts in his direction.

Using Shien in conjunction with the advantage of twin blades, Kai twirled his saberstaff about him, deflecting each shot and taking out two of the thugs in the process. The three still standing were prepared to lay out another series of blasts, but Kai was not about to give them the opportunity, using Force Dash to place himself crouching in front of the center bandit, and running him through in the process. The two remaining in close proximity on either side realized that their quarry had the drop on them and attempted to level off their shots. One moved faster than the other, getting his weapon leveled off fast enough to place a well-aimed blast. But Kai did not remain still long enough for it to reach him, jumping into the air and spinning his weapon about, managing to slash through the chest of the enemy to his left on his way up. He then flipped midair and quickly came back down, deflecting one last blast before slashing across the face of the final enemy and finishing back in first position of the Shien form.

"And that's all there is to it." Deactivating his weapon and taking a relaxed stance, Kai smiled slightly to himself, feeling that he had provided a good example of how versatile the Shien form could prove.

Turning back around though, he found that group's reaction was not what he expected. Almost every one of them stood stiff with the mouths slightly open and their eyes wide, save for the Nagai who was self-aware enough to keep her mouth closed.

Not only that, but apparently several other students had walked over and joined the bunch, Ryala and her two friends among them, whilst Lugo had been preoccupied, taking the congregation to eleven, each of which also carried a practice blade indicating that they intended to take part, and most of which shared in the reaction of the original six.

"Uh," Kai murmured in anxiety at such attention. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

People seemed to have a thing for coming up and talking to his turned back, Kai begrudgingly noted as he now turned about to face yet another individual who deigned to invade upon him with such an aggressive query.

Of course it was yet another Padawan – a teenage boy with rustic hair and a rather sour demeanor – standing with his arms at his side and a surprisingly aversive gaze for someone Lugo had never met before.

"This isn't a place for exhibition," the unknown student added with just as much venom in his voice. "Stop being a distraction."

"Oh, knock it off, Reiko," Rad spoke up, "did you see what he did?"

"I saw, and I also saw a bunch of students standing around gawking when they should be working on their own forms and technique."

Who was this guy, Kai silently asked himself while casting the interloper a distasteful look? Presenting himself as stern and superior, and looking upon the young Guardian and the rest as though they were somehow at fault. Kai almost found himself drawing a comparison between this one and Atris, but was reluctant as even Atris had more class in her manner than this one expressed. If she had spoken against them for such a thing, Lugo knew she would have done so with the interest of holding to a standard of how Jedi should act. Yet Kai got the sense that this guy just wanted to badmouth them.

"They wanted me to show them a few different techniques," the Kai calmly replied. However the rusty-haired Padawan seemed almost insulted that he had spoken at all.

"Are you a knight, or a Master then," Reiko shot back in a belittling tone. "Are you qualified to be attempting to teach anyone anything? Have you been given permission to teach such techniques to other students, or even to childishly show them off?"

This guy was getting on Kai's nerves surprisingly quick. "I'm not teaching them anything. All I did was show some of the more advanced forms. I don't need permission for that."

"No, you just do whatever you feel like, isn't that right," the hazel-eyed Padawan shot back, "You and Revan, fighting each other like animals for no reason other than to indulge your aggression... That he is also an Apprentice to one of the Council Members perplexes me to no end. He does not deserve such recognition, and neither do you for your simpleminded ways."

Simpleminded? Who the hell did this guy - wait... "You're an Apprentice to one of the Masters?"

"He is Vrook's Padawan - Reiko Vynn," Aza answered. "He has been the Jedi Master's student for over three years now, I believe."

"Three and a half, Nagai," Vynn sternly corrected, keeping his attention focused directly on Lugo.

Kai's expression twisted to one of uncertainty. "Vrook has an Apprentice...?"

"Indeed," Reiko's eyes sharpened in response, glaring at the young Guardian as though it were such an imbecilic question. "My Master chose me from among many who desired his personal instruction, and I am honored by his guidance."

He was no Revan, that much was certain, but Kai was unsure if that was a good thing. He was certainly more annoying than the prodigal student proved to be, and with a much more potent ego.

"All of you should get back to your individual studies," the command came forth from Vynn as though he expected others to listen to him without question. He then looked back at Lugo. "And as for you – you've been a major distraction more than once. Stop it or the Masters _will_ be informed of how you chronically interfere in our training sessions. Am I clear?"

Now the guy was _threatening_ him? Kai was not one to take to anger, but this Apprentice was really rubbing him the wrong way. "Hey, if someone _important_ has a problem with what we're doing, I'd like for them to tell me instead of some Padawan who probably forgets half the time which end of a lightsaber is up."

Though it had not been Kai's intention, the group standing behind him broke out into snickering, knowing that they should not take amusement from such statements, but unable to stop themselves completely from laughing.

Reiko's face hardened for a moment, obviously angered by such a slanderous remark, but he attempted to hide it behind cold, motionless eyes. "Such immature mockery only shows your own failings as a Jedi, Padawan Lugo."

"Is that so?" Kai shot back, "well, so far, you've called all of us childish, reckless, irresponsible, and pretty much downright idiotic. Not in so few words, but through cowardly implication, like someone too afraid to say what they really mean."

No one laughed this time. Teasing was one thing – calling someone a coward was quite another.

Distaste quickly changed to barely suppressed rage within Reiko's eyes, to which Kai showed no response physically or otherwise. He cared nothing for what anger this Apprentice of Vrook felt towards him, only that he presumed to belittle the lot of them on the basis that he did not approve of what they were doing. Did he believe that being the Apprentice of one of the Council Members afforded him such arrogance? Indeed, he was no Revan.

_"Excuse me, Padawan Lugo."_

The entire lot of students looked over at the sound of the mechanical voice, only then realizing that a protocol droid had walked up upon them.

"Yes?" Kai replied calmly.

_"I am here to inform you that Master Vandar has instructed you to head to the council chamber immediately."_

A deep silence passed among the small crowd of Padawans as each contemplated what such a thing meant. And for all the possibilities that they imagined, Kai himself found himself at a loss of any, but knew that such a summons was an irregularity, which did not bode well. "Did he say what this is about?"

_"I am sorry. I do not have that information at my disposal."_

The droid did not know – that boded even worse. Had he done something to upset the Masters?

"It seems you may have already dug yourself into a hole, Lugo," Vynn remarked with affirmation in his voice.

Kai passed the teenager only a passive look of aversion, not wanting to deal with him anymore today or on any other. He then turned towards the rest of the group, and saw looks of uncertainty and concern upon nearly each and every face, as though they honestly were speculating that this little unorthodox session had, in less than ten minutes into it, somehow gotten him into trouble. That thought made him smile a bit, to think of the Masters as being so omniscient as to predict he would take part in something like this even before he knew. He gave a nod of acknowledgment to the bunch, if only to say he had enjoyed this more than he had expected he would.

And then Mical. The young boy looked up at the raven-haired swordsman with a mix of annoyance and disappointment in his eyes. "Do you ever get to train without having an interruption?"

"You want me to tell the Master Vandar that I'm not available, then?"

The child smirked in humor, but sighed in disappointment as well. "I guess... I'll see you tomorrow then."

It was then that the two boys silently stared at each other for a long moment, and Kai's expression slowly became somewhat distressed as he began to realize something that had not occurred to him until now.

Tomorrow was likely the last day that they were going to see each other...

It seemed such an obvious thing, and yet Lugo found himself only realizing it now. Their week on Dantooine was nearly up – Atris having kept to her claim of being able to finish her analysis of the ancient ruins within such a short timespan – and soon they would be heading back to Coruscant, leaving the Enclave behind them along with everyone in it.

Master Vandar, Master Quatra, Mical...

It somewhat worried the young Guardian; the thought of leaving the little Padawan to his own once again. Would the child regress back to being the shy boy who spent his days hiding in the archives, swinging his practice blade without discipline, and barely saying a word to anyone? He deserved better than that.

Thank the Council at least that Bandon had been transferred to another Academy, sparing Mical the brute's wrath.

… the Council! Kai realized he had been standing around lost in thought for too long.

"I'll... see you later." Lugo muttered to the young boy standing before him. After all that had happened in that short period of time they had known each other, after all the hours they had spent together, training, studying, and having fun, it felt so insufficient to say such a thing. But it was all someone like Kai – a person who never learned how to truly welcome others into his life – had to offer.

The raven-haired Guardian turned and walked away then, leaving behind the training grounds, the group of Padawans who sought his guidance, and a young Hopeful who valued his friendship deeper than he could have realized, and who watched him leave, stiff lipped and with tears in his eyes.

{(-)}

It was usual for the Council to silently reflect for several minutes before meeting with anyone or before beginning their discussions. But it was not tradition that evoked the silence that echoed amongst them at this moment in time.

It was the uncertainty, the doubts, and the tension that consumed their minds that made them take to the quiet.

Master Vandar had beckoned for the other Masters to join him and Master Quatra before Kai arrived. In the few minutes they had, the Master of the Enclave had explained the situation to his peers – of Atris, of Kai, and of the note. The whole time Quatra had remained silent, offering no insight into the matter, or into any other – a choice that Vandar chose to respect as hers alone for now.

Beyond sharing the details of the situation, there had been little else said between the five veteran Jedi. What else was there to say? They each knew what such a situation implicated. And they knew how this day might end for Lugo if the answers he gave did not satisfy them.

Even in their silence, the Masters revealed much concerning their thoughts. Zhar and Dorak were calm and indifferent in their mannerisms, handling the situation as they would any other. Though the matter may have been dire in perception, neither of the pair showed any sign of personal investment in it. All that concerned either of them was how little they knew of what had happened.

Vrook, on the other hand, was something much different to behold, his arms at his sides with his hands interlocked in front of his lowered face. Several more wrinkles appeared in accompaniment to the usual grouping that dawned his scrunched brow, him obviously being very tense concerning this matter, as though he blamed himself, or some of the others, for the situation as if they should have forseen it's eventuality.

Vandar was, as always, emotionless in his ponderings, despite what concerns, fears, or other emotions he felt. An epitome of Jedi philosophy, the little green alien kept his mind clear and focused on the questions that filled his thoughts, delving deeply into his memories of Kai and Atris and seeking what answers he could from within.

As for Quatra, the youngest of the Masters had managed to improve her persona before the others had congregated, but she was very tired and drained, the exhaustion evident upon her down-turned face and heavy eyes. And unlike the others, she was doing her utmost not to think of the young Guardian. If she thought of him, then she would think of what she had discovered. And if she did that, she knew it would tear at her as violently as it had before. And she could not run to her quarters this time.

So, for now, she tried to think of nothing – to clear her mind of all emotion and all uncertainties, and just focus on the Force and on herself, hoping to find her center and return balance to her ravaged mind.

Based on Atris' letter, Quatra imagined the Echani knight was currently attempting to do the same thing within the Enclave's temple, hidden away from the rest of the compound in a place none approached save for those who sought it out.

What happened to her? Why had she absconded, forsaking her duties and responsibilities, demanding that she be left to her own until she said otherwise?

And why did she make it sound as if Kai was responsible for all of it? What could he have possibly done to affect her like this?

Damn it, Atris... did she have any idea what this might mean for Lugo?

So many questions, and so few answers...

Suddenly Quatra raised her head, and the other Masters stirred from their pondering. The Padawan had arrived.

{(-)}

"Sorry it took me so long, Master Vandar," Kai stated as he entered the Council Chamber, looking down the whole time as he attempted to straighten his robes, having rumpled them a little bit whilst training with Mical. "The busy life a Padawan never seems to-"

The young Guardian came to a hard and sudden stop in his approach, his eyes going wide and the anxiety exploding within his chest as he raised his head and saw himself in the presence of not just the one Master that he expected, but the entire Council.

They were all present, and looking at him with focused eyes. And the fleeting fears and paranoia that had touched upon him in the training grounds now exploded within his mind.

Something was very wrong, the raven-haired student realized, and he was at the center of it.

"Padawan Lugo."

It was Vrook who called out to him, in a tone much harder than what he had used towards Kai last time. This one bordered on angry. "Step forward."

Hesitant to face the unknown, but compliant to the will of the Masters, the teenage boy slowly made his way closer, eying each of them for some sign as to what this was about. But he found no answers in the looks that they were giving him. In fact, if anything, their expressions were demanding, as though they believed he was hiding something from them.

And then there was Quatra. Kai looked upon the young teacher, his instructor whilst on Dantooine, for a period longer than he knew was prudent, but found himself drawn to the way she was responding to his presence – by not looking back at him. She kept her face partially lowered, her eyes diverted, passively implying to the young Guardian that she did not want to look at him.

Why? Had he done something so terrible that she could not even bear to look at him? What could he have possibly done!

"That's close enough." Lamar called out, pulling Kai out of his thoughts and making him realize that he had stepped closer to the gathering of Masters than was respectful. He quickly took a step back to compensate. At this point, Kai felt compelled to ask what this was all about, but that compulsion quivered in the back of his mind, overpowered by the strong figures that surrounded and watched him, making him unable to speak.

It brought a small sense of relief to the Padawan that Vandar was the one to address him, though his voice was heavy in both seriousness and concern. "Young Kai."

"Yes, Master Vandar?" Lugo immediately replied, turning fully in the direction of the little green alien. It tore at the young Guardian, the thought that Master Vandar was somehow angry or disappointed with him. The elderly Jedi had given him so much.

"Tell me, young one – when was the last time you spoke with Atris today?"

Kai's brow shriveled slightly, still completely at a loss for what all of this was about. "Atris? I suppose... it was when she went to teach the higher-level students after her lecture; when she left me to attend the younger Hopefuls during their activity class."

"I see," Vandar replied contently, as if he had been concerned that the Padawan would say something else. "And did you notice anything... strange about her when she left your company?"

"Strange?" What did that mean? Why were they asking him questions about Atris? "Not that I can think of, Master."

"What was the last thing that was said between the two of you when you parted?" Zhar asked next with a tone of thoughtful inquisition.

Kai looked over to the Master, quickly trying to find his answer. "Something along the lines of that I would be able to handle giving guidance to the students during the lesson, I believe. I... it was nothing that stood out in my mind though. We parted mutually, as far as I'm concerned."

Had Atris said otherwise? Had she accused him of some wrongdoing or inappropriateness that he was completely oblivious to? Could it have been their... talk near the old ruins? As unusual an event as it had been for both of them, to speak on things so personal, Kai could not imagine the Echani Knight being upset over it. As outspoken as she was, wouldn't she at least have told him about it before going to the Council?

"This is getting us nowhere," Vrook suddenly spoke up amidst the moment of silence. "We're dancing around the matter when we should be direct."

Much to Kai's discomfort, it seemed that Vrook would now be the one probing him with questions. Yet when the aged Master opened his mouth to speak again, another voice cut in front of his.

"Kai..."

The teenage boy immediately looked over his shoulder in the direction of the voice, finding that Master Quatra had at last raised her head to look at him. And he saw the exhaustion in her eyes and features then, and was left speechless by the sight, caught off guard by the sudden change in the woman's appearance when she had been her usual vibrant, strong self not an hour ago.

"Master Quatra... are you-"

"-Knight Atris has retreated to the sanctuary of the Enclave's temple," Quatra quickly interrupted, knowing what the young Guardian wanted to say and knowing that she needed to drive this matter through if she hoped to keep her focus off... other concerns. She held up the scrap of paper then that she had been keeping within her hand. "She says that she has suffered a dire event and demands to be left to her meditations until she can resolve the matter herself."

"Dire event?" Kai repeated back in complete bafflement. "What dire event?"

"We were hoping that you could tell us," Vrook managed to say before Quatra could continue. "She clearly indicates you as being somehow responsible for it."

To that, Kai had no response beyond looking back at the Master, slack-jawed and silent.

"Padawan, please think carefully," Vandar calmly spoke next, "can you think of anything that has happened recently that might have upset or bothered Atris."

"I..." Lugo's eyes turned down for a moment, delving into his memories of the time he had spent with Atris while on Dantooine. "No... nothing, nothing at all. We haven't fought with each other, or done really much of anything beyond the norm. She left the activity center without complaint, so I can't see how-"

"-Then you are obviously missing something," Vrook interjected, "And I doubt you can help us discover what it is."

Riled by the thought that Atris was in trouble, and that he was somehow responsible for it, in an unheard of act for him, Kai talked back. "Why are you asking me about this? Why don't you go ask Atris what happened, since I obviously missed something."

None of the Masters missed the aggression and frustration that filled the Padawan's tone, and most were quite shocked by it as they did not expect to hear such disrespect from the boy.

"Mind your emotions, Padawan," Dorak spoke in an even tone, having kept silent until now as he preferred to just spectate for the time. "Atris has requested that she be left to her own until she is ready to speak to us. As she is a Knight, we must respect her wishes for the time being."

"Fine," Kai replied calmly, but with drive, "then I'll go talk to her, myself."

Without their concession to depart, Kai immediately turned about and started for the exit. For several moments, the Council watched silently in disbelief, unused to such behavior in a student. Vrook, finding his thoughts torn each and every way, called out. "You were not dismissed, Padawan!"

The teenage boy halted his steps, but only turned half-way back around to face the Council from across the distance. Yet even from a distance, everyone of the Jedi Masters could see the intensity within Kai's features, and could feel the drive burning strongly within him. It left many of them stunned to see such strength of will come from one of Lugo's age. For a moment, they lost themselves within it, unable to think of what to say next. And that he had such an effect upon them... bothered some.

Vandar was not as overwhelmed as the rest. "Young Kai, I know you feel strongly about this, and I can understand those feelings, but you cannot let them cloud your senses."

"I was appointed her Guardian while on Dantooine, Master Vandar," Kai replied, sounding almost ashamed within his voice, as though he blamed himself for this matter regardless of whether he understood it. "Master Kavar entrusted me with her protection. Atris... placed her trust in me, and I am not going to forsake it. If she is in trouble, then I'm going to do whatever I can to help her."

Such power and conviction behind his words.

"You must understand that right now she does not feel that you can help her. And you must respect that, even if you do not agree," the little alien explained, "this may be something that only Atris can deal with herself, and if so we are going to have to have faith that she can handle the matter."

Lugo continued to look back directly at the elderly Master for a long moment, almost appearing oblivious to all the others that were currently staring at him. Slowly the fire within him began to weaken, and his expression softened. "I... understand, Master."

"Good. Then until we hear from Atris, or decide otherwise, you are to continue with your daily routines and exercises. We will keep you informed of what happens. May the Force be with you."

The teenage boy only nodded this time, preventing himself from revealing whatever emotions might escape within his voice, then turned back around and left without another word, leaving the Masters to their silence – some in contemplation, some in awe, and some in great dissatisfaction.

For Quatra, it was something different. She recalled seeing that fire within Kai before, when she had told him about his self-endangering nature within her meditation chamber, and how amazed she had been by it. In comparison, what she had felt back then had only been a flickering candle. What she had just seen, what they had all just seen, was a massive and unconquerable blaze, both bright and strong. And above all else – frightening.

That Kai could have such drive within him; it was hard for the young teacher to fathom how such a thing came about, even with his life before the Order.

And to know that that will was completely focused on providing strength for others, and devoid of any care or compassion for the boy it laid within...

-No! Quatra screamed at herself within her mind. She would not succumb to her grief or shame again! If she wanted to help Kai, then she knew she needed to do more than feel sorry for him or dwell on past failures. He was still alive, still a member of the Order, and still under her authority. And she refused to believe that there was nothing she could do for him.

He was her student, and she was going to help him.

For now, it would be by taking part in the Council's discussions. After all this, the young teacher was certain that some of them had much to say.

{(-)}

"Argh!"

Kai managed to keep from screaming loudly as he smashed his fist into the nearby wall, having made sure to be somewhere where no one would hear him. The pain of the impact surged through his hand and up his arm, causing him to grab at the anguishing limb and grunt under his breath until it went numb.

He couldn't stand this! Feeling so... helpless! Something had happened to Atris, something that would make her run from everything and everyone, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it!

"Why, Atris? Why wouldn't you come to me! Why wouldn't you tell me!"

That Atris would claim that he was somehow responsible for whatever was afflicting her, and yet not tell him... it didn't make sense! Not a day went by where she did not criticize or nitpick at him. She always made sure to inform him of his flaws and mistakes, to the point of nearly driving him insane! So why wouldn't she tell him about this?

And what could he have possibly done? Beyond the usual sparring of verbal jabs, he never did anything to her. Certainly nothing that would result in this.

But...

But Atris does not lie. She never stretched the truth or gave false accounts. And if she said that he had done something to hurt her...

Kai found the stress of such thoughts overpowering, forcing him to place his back against the wall and slowly slide down it until he was nearly sitting on the ground.

What had he done? The question echoed through his mind over and over again, forcing him to examine every word he could remember sharing with Atris in the last few days, meticulously searching for... something!

He placed his hands atop his skull then, feeling as though his mind was going to snap under the pressure.

"What was it? What did I do wrong, Atris?"

Unexpectedly, a small voice came to answer him. "Excuse me, sir?"

Kai lifted his head from his hands to find a young Padawan boy standing in front of him.

"I'm... sorry to bother you," the child mumbled, obviously uncomfortable in approaching the teenager who seemed indisposed of at the moment. "But, you are Kai Lugo, yes? The Guardian assigned to Knight Atris?"

Taking a deep breath and raising himself from the ground, Kai nodded softly with an exhausted expression. "Yes, that's correct."

"I was looking for you," the child continued, "I wanted to ask whether we would have a chance to finish the lesson on Force Listening she was giving us."

"Finish the lesson?" Kai looked harder at the young boy. "You mean you did not get to finish your lesson under her?"

"No, sir. Atris had left before finishing. She didn't say why, but after she had talked with Revan, she-"

"Revan?"

Kai's eyes jumped wide open then, his senses becoming very alert. He knelt down then, bringing him eye-level with the child.

"What was Revan doing there?"


	12. Chapter 12

**NOTE TO READER**

** Greetings Fan Fiction lovers. It had been quite some time since I've released a chapter for this series. Following the whole canonization nonsense of Revan and the Exile, I lost interest and appreciation for the story. But apparently my readers did not, having requested repeatedly that I continue with it. And so I have at last acquiesced with both apologies for leaving the story unfinished and gratitude for the support I have received. Thank you. I promise to see this through to the end, which is only a few chapters away, so stay tuned.**

** Finally, I apologize for the earlier release of this chapter. I had uploaded it originally without completing a final edit and there were too many mistakes for me to let it stand. Here is the final, much more readable edition. I do recommend that you go back and read the rest of the story before continuing, as many of the plot points and developments are related to previous events. Either way- Enjoy!**

** A.R. Minion**

* * *

_Four-and-a-half years ago..._

It was already late into the night, and almost all of the Coruscant Academy had either retired for the day or was asleep.

The young teenage girl of Echani descent had done neither.

Walking the empty corridors alone, hearing only the sound of her shoes tapping against the marble tiles, the Padawan silently made her way towards the training grounds, and thought upon much during the traverse.

Atris – that was her name now, and had been for the last couple of years. It had taken quite a while for her to grow accustomed to being called that, but now she was so used to it that she had almost forgotten her original name.

It was quite a shock for her to have heard it today after so long.

While arbitrarily scanning through the daily records of the coreward databases, the Padawan had come across an image of herself as a young child, her former name clearly written in bold script, along with a rather impressive reward.

Apparently those... people were still looking for her, having restated their missing-child claim once again after several months. Originally having posted it not long after she had fled her former life, they even now continued to seek her after all these years

They were wasting their time. That girl has long since ceased to exist – murdered by her own naiveté and unrequited love for her parents.

Love – such an irrational and unreliable emotion, as the Jedi had taught her. It served no purpose in life any more than stimulants to a junkie. What joy and exhilaration it granted were but mere shadows compared to its true nature – one of cruelty and betrayal. People hunger for it, cradle it like some priceless treasure, have killed and died for it with no thought or regret. To live with love is to live with ignorance and mindless passion. Jedi were better than such things- embracing knowledge and harmony. Embracing truth and clarity. Love, for a Jedi, served no purpose.

Atris could not help but reveal a smile of gratification from such thoughts. She pitied that poor, stupid girl she used to be and revered the one she had become, feeling justified and fulfilled in a way she never knew before the Jedi. She had truly found her place in life.

However the adolescent girl was somewhat vexed by the fact that she shared her domain in the Order with so many so-called "peers" that did not appreciate what being a Jedi meant as she did. So many her own age that, despite receiving the same lessons as she did, were still frivolous in their mindset as Jedi, prone to the superficial pursuits of common society. During the day she would often hear the whispers and conversations of students engaged in pointless bantering about all sorts of non-relevant topics. Girls that would talk about holovids, and pretty dresses, and how "cute" they thought a boy was. And boys that would talk about sports, and games, and tell jokes. And so many that would talk about their families back home… such meaningless things to true Jedi.

The white-haired girl was quickly pulled from her thoughts as she approached upon the massive doorway to the training grounds, hearing the youthful grunts and huffs of a boy echoing from inside.

Rounding the corner she found the room's only occupant. And to her shock she recognized him.

Near center of the training grounds, a boy her own age was entrenched in combat practice. A dull vibrostaff firmly in his grasp, the black-haired student focused as he held his form, letting out a smooth exhale to clear his lungs and calm his nerves.

Even with the lights within the room turned very low and his back currently turned towards the entryway, towards Atris, she could still tell it was him- the Padawan that had disturbed her late-night studies in the library a few months back. The thief that had stolen her lightsaber off of her long ago and somehow wormed his way in among their number.

Atris found herself glaring at him with annoyance in her eyes. Why was he here? Of all hours in the day when he could have done this, why was he practicing in the middle of the night? True, she had her own reason to seek to do the same, but she at least did so with intent of self-improvement. Given how fickle a person she remembered him to be, Atris expected he was simply here to waste time again. And again, it was her time he was wasting, which she would not tolerate.

Stepping into the room then, she was about to demand that the interloper leave the training grounds and retire for the night. But the words suddenly leapt into the back of her throat. The black-haired adolescent had sprung into action.

His vibrostaff coming alive within his hands, the boy spun about rapidly, his movements intense yet balanced from a practiced precision. Each strike he made with his weapon was followed through with a fluid motion, the aggression of his attacks guided by an uncanny control and sure footing, forming a deadly and alluring dance that was both frightening and compelling.

For near a minute he maintained such level of intensity, all the while Atris watched while struck silent by what she was seeing. Such a mark of control and discipline was not something she could have expected to see from someone so close to her own age, especially someone like him… And his forms: Makashi, Juyo, Ataru. Where did a mere student learn these maneuvers reserved for the Knights and Masters?

The display came to an end as the boy fell back into his combat stance, holding it for a few moments before placing the tip of his vibrostaff upon the ground. Using it to support himself, he dropped his head forward and let out several exhausted breaths, clearly drained from such intense maneuvering.

The break in action stirred Atris from her bewilderment and she quickly dismissed her interest in the boy's knowledge of lightsaber combat and recalled her original intent in coming here, and her disapproval of the his presence. Walking over to the control panel on the nearby wall, she pressed down on the dimmer switch, causing the light in the room to increase to a proper level of luminance.

"Gah!" The boy let out a yelp, dropping his weapon with a loud clang as he hastily covered his eyes with his forearms. "Who- who's there?!"

It was only then that Atris recalled this boy's aversion of strong lighting. Willing enough to acquiesce, she turned the room's luminance back down, keeping it high enough so she would still be able to see clearly.

"You should not be here at this hour," Atris stated firmly as she approached the room's other occupant who quickly whipped about to look at her through slightly squinted eyes.

"Huh?" The boy blurted out, taking a moment to place her. "The one from the library?"

"And the one who's lightsaber you stole," Atris quickly added with a look of disapproval.

"Oh, right," the dark-haired Padawan muttered, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness – set at a level comparable to early twilight. "Sorry again about that."

"Why are you here," Atris asked in a demanding tone, expressing her disapproval at the peer's presence, whatever his reasons might be. She knew she had no basis for dismissing him other than she didn't want him there, but at this hour of the night she didn't really care about the logistics of it.

Having gained a comfort level to where he no longer had to hide his eyes, the boy turned about calmly and picked his vibrostaff up off the floor. "I appreciate the chance to train without dealing with distractions."

His reason reflected Atris' own completely. As she expected – she didn't care. "Are you about done then?"

The boy's eyes remained steady as he looked to her. He showed no sign that he registered the hostility of her tone, or maybe he didn't care enough to challenge it. "I wanted to get a little practice in before meeting with Master Kavar tomorrow, so I-"

"-I don't care for your reasons, student," Atris interjected flatly. "If you're finished then please leave me to my own endeavors."

There was a silent moment after that between Atris and the boy. A moment in which she expected him to drop this mask of indifference and show the emotional responses she expected him to have. The same kind of responses she received from all of her peers of umbrage and aggression towards her blunt and assertive nature. He would show himself to be-

"Well, good night then," the boy said softly.

Staggering from exhaustion and having overexerted himself in his practice, he then walked over and placed his vibrostaff away on the wall mount. "Sorry if I caused any delay for you."

With that he immediately turned and at a slow pace headed out of the training ground's entrance, leaving Atris to herself.

…

Atris' gaze lingered on the entryway, seemingly lost as to what had just happened and by how it had been completely unlike what she had expected. There had no pride within his words, no lack of humbleness or disdain for her in his eyes. He said goodnight, and then he left…

…So why was she so perplexed by this? Had he not acted as a Jedi should - calmly and respectfully? Perhaps it had not been what she had expected, but wasn't that a good thing? Why then did she feel so confused? Confused by this boy whose name she did not even know.

Shutting her eyes tightly and lowering her brow, Atris rubbed at the side of her temple to alleviate the rise in tension she felt. Such thoughts were meaningless, she concluded. Having only seen this person twice in several years, what was the point of such thoughts concerning someone she likely would not see again spare chance?

Dismissing all thought of the interloper, Atris focused her attention back upon what she came here to do, quickly placing herself center of the room and arming herself with her lightsaber. The cyan beam erupted to life from her hands.

In the room's current twilight luminance it seemed to glow slightly brighter than usual.

Atris was quick to walk over and turn the lights all the way back up before continuing.

* * *

_Present time…_

_"Master Atris?"_

The teenage Jedi Knight slowly opened her eyes as she was pulled out of her meditation by the robotic voice. Her mind having been so far away but a moment earlier, she took time to place herself.

She was kneeling atop a floor pillow, her legs numb for uncounted hours in this position. The room she was in was small and bare, consisting of plastered walls and a marble floor with candles lining the ground around her providing soft glow throughout the immediate area.

This was a meditation chamber, Atris realized. And with that all of her more recent memories returned to her. She was in the temple of Dantooine's Academy. She had relocated herself from her room among the barracks to one of the isolated dwellings within the temple, effectively cutting herself off from all but the few others who spent time here.

And with that, she remembered why she had done so. Why she came here.

She… had faltered. Revan's words from when he had confronted her in the classroom still echoed through her mind. And until she could let go of them and prove they held no power over her, she needed to be here.

This was not her fault, she reminded herself. Nor was it Revan's, despite whatever his reasons had been in doing this to her.

No… the blame clearly fell upon Kai Lugo – the Padawan who had been acting as her assistant and protector here on Dantooine. A… colleague from Coruscant, Kai and she had known each other for several years now, though always had it been from a distance, their roles in the Order being so different. Him- an average Force User with over-excessive combat skills geared towards becoming a Guardian. Her- among the youngest students ever to have already achieved the title of Jedi Knight, well on her way to becoming a Master Historian.

So different in their goals, values, and mannerisms it was a wonder that they had crossed paths as much as they had while training in the academy on Coruscant.

More terrifying for Atris was the realization of how oblivious she had been of what the raven-haired Padawan had truly been doing to her in that time. Of how, through his improper nature and their continuous interactions, he had been afflicting her with-

Atris' mind flinched, causing her to grimace in discomfort, as it retracted from naming the sensation, knowing that doing so would only give it more power over her. She needed to avoid staring into the eye of the beast that now rested inside of her if she hoped to overcome it.

_"Master Atris?"_

The robotic voice called out again to her, Atris having all but forgotten it until now. She looked behind herself towards the open doorway of the meditation chamber where a servant droid currently stood awaiting her recognition.

"What is it?" Her voice echoed weakly throughout the small room, her throat parched from lack of food, water, or rest as she had spent most of her time in this chamber since relocating to the temple.

_"Forgive the interruption, Jedi Knight_," the droid said as Atris turned away from it, _"I bring word from the Jedi Masters, concerning the original message you had me deliver to the Council."_

Atris recalled the message she sent, declaring her act of moving to the temple and requiring that she be left to her own until otherwise. Given she was a Knight, she had the authority to do this of her own volition. She also recalled the latter half of her message in which she indicated Kai as being the source of the dire event she was now suffering from. Thinking upon it now, she regretted including that portion as it may have given rise to suspicions in the Masters' minds. But there was nothing she could do about it.

"What is their message?" She asked back while hanging her head solemnly.

"_They merely wish to know the progress of your meditations, and if you will be able to better explain Kai Lugo's role in these events."_

"No," Atris replied flatly, wanting there to be no room for further questioning in the matter. "Tell them I am making progress. As for… the Padawan, I will explain all of that when I have recovered and return to them."

"_Very well, Lady Atris."_With that, the droid closed the door to the meditation chamber once more, the sound of its actuators moving being audible through the closed portal as it walked away.

Alone again, Atris' thoughts turned to her meditations upon the Force, and the perplexing results of it. Memories of her younger years had been brought forth from the dark recesses of her mind to play in front of her vision. Specifically, some of the earliest memories she had of Kai in the Coruscant Academy.

The Force had been showing her these memories for a reason, she realized. And she needed to discover that reason, for she was certain it was the key to her overcoming her affliction.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, Atris closed her eyes as she focused once more upon the Force.

Almost immediately the memory continued.

* * *

_Four-and-a-half years ago..._

The cyan beam of her lightsaber collapsing as the weapon deactivated, Atris let out several exhausted breaths as her exercises came to an end. With the training grounds currently vacant except for herself, she had been able to practice without the distraction of nameless peers crowding her. And she had been able to focus that much more because of it.

She knew it was impractical to expect all of the students to take such initiative as she did, nor would the Academy be able to accommodate it, but as Atris stood there alone in that quiet room she felt a sense of focus and success that she would otherwise be denied in the presence of so many other students struggling to achieve in unison. In the last hour, everything that happened within this room – the sounds, the energy, the Force - was a reflection of her, no one else.

Now drained of her stamina and on the verge of collapsing from an extensive day, the adolescent Padawan headed for the exit to the adjacent hall. Her thoughts turned inward then, losing all perspective of her surroundings as her mind wandered. It has been a few weeks now since she was assigned a Master. While in itself this was no great achievement, with many Padawans several years her junior having already obtained apprenticeship, the fact that she would be her Master's only Apprentice was of great significance. Currently within the Order, Jedi Masters were permitted to take on multiple Apprentices, something that Atris starkly disapproved of. Achievement came through focus, and if a Master's focus was split then their students were doomed to never achieve their true potential.

No one could achieve their potential when held back by others…

Still in a tired daze as she moved onward, Atris exited the training grounds and rounded the corner of the hall, only to end up running smack straight into another person, both of them letting out a pained and surprised gasp as she lost her footing and fell over on top of the other.

Immediately pushing up off the other individual, Atris shook fog from her mind and frantically opened her eyes. Her gaze immediately locked upon the face of the culprit. A face she was coming to know well despite not wanting to.

"You again?!"

The emerald-eyed boy looked up at her through a pained and squinted gaze, the overhead lights clearly causing him no small amount of discomfort. His voice came forth in a weak huff then. _"Please… get…off…"_

Looking down, Atris realized both her hands were placed on the boy's chest, her weight pressing down on his lungs. Frantically she stood up and stepped back from her counterpart. "I thought you had retired for the night!"

"I..." the black haired teen muttered with a tired voice as he struggled back to his feet, clearly more exhausted than even she was, "I did… I intended to, but…"

He reached over on the ground then lifted up a length of fabric that he had apparently brought with him. "I wanted to return this to you."

Atris directed her eyes towards what lay in the boy's arms. It was a blanket – a simple, unassuming sheet of fabric barren of any form of unique décor or patterned stitching. It was insignificant and certainly nothing that she recognized as her own. "What are you playing at? This isn't mine."

"Yes it is," the boy quickly replied as if having expected her response, "You gave it to me when I fell asleep in the archives, remember?"

He looked down upon the sheet with a soft gaze. "I remember waking up the next morning thinking I would be sick from how cold they kept that place throughout the night. I would have been too had you not draped this over me before you left."

Atris' eyes turned away for a moment as her mind tried to put the pieces together of what had happened that night so long ago. She remembered the library. She remembered meeting this strange and annoying boy there when he stumbled upon her while she studied. She remembered him attempting to read from some random tome with no thought as to what it was. And she remembered him falling asleep then-

…

The rest of that memory suddenly returned to her, causing her eyes to intensify as they returned to the blanket. She had given it to him before she left that night; a small mercy on her part for someone who had been shivering from the cold. She had all but forgotten about that act. All but forgotten about that blanket. Why would she have remembered? It meant nothing to her.

"Why?"

The boy's expression remained even as they looked back at her. "Why what?"

"Why do you still have that," Atris asked with confusion and almost scrutiny in her tone. "It is just a piece of fabric; no different than any other. What reason could you possibly have had to have kept it all these months just on the off-chance you could return it to me?"

Almost seeming surprised by the question, the emerald-eyed youth looked away as he apparently searched inward for an answer. Did he really have to think so hard upon such a rudimentary question to his actions? Or perhaps he hesitated because her response had not been what he desired. She felt no gratitude towards him for bring her this insignificant item and would not pretend otherwise. If that caused him pain, then it was a lesson for him – don't have undue expectations.

The boy turned his eyes back upon Atris once more, and there was no pain within them, only a striking clarity.

"Because I need to learn to be grateful," the boy calmly replied. "I know that may sound bizarre for someone to say, but… I don't know how to feel gratitude like others do, and Master Vandar has told me that it is a most important thing, even for Jedi. I am unused to receiving kindness and mercies from others, and when it does happen, I am… confused by it, more than anything."

He looked down upon the blanket then, studying it for a moment. "You didn't have to give this to me. Yet you did. For whatever reason, you performed an act of compassion for me. And I…"

The boy looked back up then, a perplexity accompanying his gaze that revealed he was uncertain of what he was about to say. "…thank you. I- I am grateful."

His words were monotone, which most would interpret as lacking in sincerity. Atris however saw that it was a lack of familiarity and understanding that made the boy's words ring hollow.

The white-haired Padawan would have concluded such a lacking the result of self-reverence or an early life of opulence, but she knew that the boy had neither of these, for what little she knew about him.

No, he did not know how to feel gratitude because no one had ever given him anything before…

Atris' mind fell silent then as the revelation sank in that she was dealing with a person who did not know how to properly… feel. His earlier reaction, or rather the lack thereof, to her desires for him to leave the training grounds now made sense. Emotionally, this boy was… broken.

The adolescent girl quickly snapped back to reality then, finding she had been staring into the emerald eyes of the youth in front of her for more than a few moments. Others would have found this awkward, but the boy showed no reaction at all, only continuing to hold out the blanket for her to take.

…

Atris' hands rose up then, lifting the piece of fabric from the boy's outstretched arms. She looked down upon it – a bland sheet of cotton, nothing more.

"I should return to my room now," the raven-haired youth stated calmly, bowing his head respectfully as he turned and slowly walked away.

…

"What is your name?"

The words escaped Atris' voice as she turned in the boy's direction. He halted his progress and looked back upon her in response to being called upon. The boy seemed caught off guard that she wanted anything more from him.

"You name – what is your name?" Atris asked again. She found she had no reason to ask such a thing, and yet she felt compelled to ask it anyway.

"My name?" The adolescent boy muttered, the tremble in his words indicating that he found the query or perhaps the subject uncommon. Once again his eyes drifted as he became lost in thought – as if the answer was something he had to think upon. A few seconds later he regained his focused and met her gaze. "It's Kai Lugo."

"Kai Lugo." Atris echoed the name, burning it into her memory. "And I am Atris."

"Atris…" Kai echoed back as he looked upon her from down the hallway. "Hello, Atris. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His words once again rang with a monotone pitch as he spoke the greeting. He was trying so hard just to sound human…

"Goodnight, Kai," Atris replied with a small nod of her head.

"Goodnight, Atris," Kai replied, mirroring the gesture.

And yet, even from across the distance between them, as the boy brought his head back up, for a moment Atris thought she saw a small but genuine smirk upon his lips. It disappeared before she could verify it, but still…

Kai turned about once again then, walking away at a tired pace.

Atris was soon standing in that empty hall, with the blanket still within her grasp slowly warming her hands.

* * *

_Present time…_

The White Knight slowly opened her eyes as she stirred from her meditations and the memory.

Atris knew now why the Force had brought this recollection from out of the shadows of her mind to play in front of her eyes once again. Because it was something she needed to forget…

That day when she had first come to know the name of Kai Lugo – that was the day his chaotic nature had first inflicted itself upon her, causing the tremors of uncertainty and emotional turmoil to spur forth within her now. His was a clever and deceptive nature.

Yes… she would forget that memory- drive it's poisonous effects from her by rejecting all that it was.

At last, Atris thought to herself, she was finally on the road to healing.

* * *

"Was that all she said?"

_"Yes, Master Vandar,"_the droid replied to the elder Jedi as it stood before the congregated Council of Dantooine.

"Very well. You may go."

Receiving leave, the droid turned about and walked for the exit – the sound of its turning motivators echoing against the walls of the otherwise mute room until it left.

"So in the end," Master Zhar spoke up, giving voice to what he knew currently vexed the other Masters as well, "we no nothing more of this situation than we did from before we spoke with young Kai Lugo."

"That Atris would implicate him as having done something as grievant as to force her to seek sanctuary within the temple and yet not share what it was," Dorak added, not hiding the frustration in his voice. "As a Knight she has the authority to seek solitude, but perhaps this matter should be an exception. If Atris so openly insinuates Padawan Lugo as having committed some fowl deed, then she needs to explain it. Otherwise we do not have enough information to act one way or another."

"It is possible that she has not explained herself because she doesn't know how," Vrook replied, garnering confused eyes from his peers. "In her stay here, Atris has spent the most amount of time with Lugo. It would make sense then that if his abilities to influence others was to manifest in anyone, it would be upon her. Perhaps even more so than what we've seen in the young Mical."

Vrook shifted his gaze towards the other side of the room where Master Quatra sat. She had been silent since Kai left the chamber, having kept her eyes closed and head lowered, appearing almost as if sleeping. The others knew her to simply be deep in thought, though what such thoughts were of she did not see fit to share.

"We've already seen the evidence of Lugo's influence on those around him," Vrook continued, still eying the unresponsive Quatra. "Given Atris' actions, we can assume his influence has spread to her. And perhaps she, with her stronger connection to the Force and focused nature, was able to see the effects clearly enough as to identify the source as we know it to be."

Quatra opened her eyes and raised her head then, her expression calm but resolute. "Speculation – nothing more. We don't know what happened between Atris and Kai that drove the young Knight to seek solitude, if anything."

Quatra's words received more the one raised eyebrow.

"You believe Atris is lying?" Zhar asked for the rest.

"I believe Kai was sincere when he said he had no idea what any of this was about. And I believe his confusion and shock to the situation was genuine. As was his intent to settle the matter." Indeed, the image of the raven-haired Padawan turning his back on the Council and moving to leave without their permission was still fresh in many of their minds. As was the burning drive they felt within him- overwhelming and absolute in its focus.

"Arrogant and headstrong…" Vrook muttered aloud dismissively in response to the memory. He eyed Quatra once again. "He is too driven by his passions and should be taught better."

As Kai was her responsibility while he was here on Dantooine, the fault for his defiant behavior was laid directly at her feet. Quatra was content with that, though not before making sure the nature of the crime was clear. "It was not passion that drove him, Master Vrook, but his sense of responsibility. He was placed as Atris' Guardian while at this Academy and he takes that duty with the utmost seriousness – more so than he cares for the repercussions to himself. If Master Vandar had not reasoned with him, I doubt anything could have stopped him."

By how Vrook's gaze softened slightly, Quatra could tell her words had struck true with him.

"Then there is nothing more to be done now," Vandar stated with finality, then looking to Master Quatra. "It would be wise to allow Atris her solace until she is ready to speak. But as she is under your direct authority while on Dantooine, we shall leave it to you to decide if and when to pursue the matter."

"Yes, Master Vandar," Quatra evenly replied with a bow of her head.

With that the Council was dismissed.

Zhar and Dorak were both quick to leave to return to other matters. Quatra, Vandar, and Vrook however lingered, each of whom partook a moment of silent contemplation.

Vrook was the first to stir from his thoughts. "Master Vandar…"

"Vrook," Vandar replied evenly, "More you have to say?"

"We have seen the effects Kai Lugo has had on those around him even when he was kept relatively isolated on Coruscant. Yet we have given him the benefit of the doubt repeatedly since his arrival at the academy because we have nothing definitive to make a decision upon. We know that he's forged a bond with the boy Mical, yet we cannot prove its effects. We know the echo we heard screaming through the Force resonates from him, but we do not know its nature. And now we know that something has happened to Knight Atris that she clearly points at Lugo as being responsible, yet we hesitate because we lack the details."

He looked to Quatra then, his expression unaggressive but resolute. "We may never have the level of absolution necessary to make a completely informed decision concerning the Padawan. But that does not mean that a decision should not be made."

With that last note of input, Vrook calmly stood up and walked out, leaving the last two Masters in the room to their own, both of whom watched him leave with scrutiny. Yet what thoughts they had concerning the elder human's words were kept to themselves.

A heavy sigh escaped Master Vandar before he turned to look upon Quatra, finding the young Master had returned to closing her eyes and lowering her head. "You did not tell them of what you had discovered."

"It would not have helped even if I had," Quatra quickly replied, having expected those words. "Master Vrook has already decided that Lugo is too much of a risk to keep in the Order. Masters Zhar and Dorak both are uncertain what to believe, though this incident has not helped their views of the Padawan. Revealing the nature of the echo would have only opened them to considering even more extreme measures."

"But perhaps… that is what is needed."

Quatra looked up again at Master Vandar, her eyes betraying her surprise by the elder Jedi's words.

"Young Kai's situation is not something the Jedi Order is prepared to handle, Master Quatra," Vandar stated in an empathetic but certain tone. "You know this. As do I."

If there was anything the young woman could have said to challenge the elder Master's claim, she would have. But there wasn't. Quatra knew herself to be strong in her devotion to the Order and the Jedi ways, and with that conviction she had become one of the Order's most vital teachers on Dantooine. Years of guiding students from all walks of life had taught her a level of patience and understanding that she had never known whilst rising amongst the ranks. And she had thought herself ready for almost anything the life of a Jedi could throw at her.

And yet when she had discovered the terrible truth lurking within Kai Lugo, beyond the Padawan, beyond the Force, it had so overwhelmed her that, consumed with grief and shame, she had sought solace within her quarters, abandoning her role as a Jedi and teacher in that moment of overwhelming sorrow.

Even now she felt it lingering in the back of her mind – the anguish and sense of disgrace. They still longed to consume her, and Quatra fought diligently to deny them, echoing the Jedi Code in her mind chronically as to remain in control.

What Kai was suffering was unlike anything they had known before, and his unique relationship with the Force only compounded the problem and made it that much more volatile a situation.

Although Quatra practically knew the answer to her question, she asked it aloud if only for confirmation. "If we tell the others, Master Vandar… If we tell them everything, what can we expect they will see as the best course of action?"

Vandar hesitated to respond, not that he needed to think upon it, but rather he did not appreciate the answer. "That young Kai be cut off from the Force and discharged from the Order. As it stands, he is too much of a risk to remain among our numbers."

That was what Quatra had expected to hear, but it didn't end there.

"After which," Vandar continued, "he would likely be handed over to the Public Services on Coruscant, who would-"

"-Place him in a psychiatric ward," Quatra finished, knowing what would be the next logical step with all they knew of Kai's condition. "Locking him away from everyone and everything."

"If he is suicidal like you said, Master Quatra, then that would be what he needs. Otherwise he may once again throw himself into a deadly situation with no care for his own wellbeing, and the echo within him will continue to strengthen as his sufferings feeds it until it becomes something truly terrible."

Though she knew Master Vandar had merely spoken the truth, something about hearing it just made Quatra want the throw up. And above all, it was the irony of all of this was the knife in her stomach. "How can we be so cruel, Master?"

A moment of empathic silence fell between the pair before Vandar replied. "It is not about being cruel, Quatra. It's about helping the boy as best as we can."

"That's not what I meant," Quatra retorted almost angrily. "Kai spent his youth in the Coruscant Depths, fighting for his life, starving and suffering, protecting those abandoned like him at the cost of living on death's edge, and finding no kindness or pittance from any. We dragged him out of that Hell, placed our robes upon him with promises of a better life rich with purpose and fulfillment. And he has devoted himself entirely to that dream."

"Master Quatra…"

"But the moment we find out his former life had left deeper scars than we knew, we pull back. Threatening to take away the only home he has ever known, the purpose in life we gave him with all its hopes and dreams, and even the Force itself. Only to throw him into a new Hell and telling him it's for his own good-"

"Master Quatra!" In a moment that Quatra had never thought to see, Vandar had raised his voice in frustration. It was telling of how horrible a thing it was when even the Head of the Dantooine Enclave was moved by his grief. "We… may have no choice."

…No choice.

No choice?

Quatra felt something erupt within herself then as those words echoed over and over in her mind. At first she thought it anger and grief, but she quickly realized it was actually something else - something more.

Her eyes widened ever slightly as they lost focus, her mind enwrapped by the sensation. It was a burning she knew all too well – a resolve and clarity she had not felt since discovering the depths of Kai's situation.

Hopelessness was an expression she often heard from the mouths of her students who were so consumed by their frustrations and failures in their exercises and studies that they were willing to give up on themselves as Jedi. And as a teacher, she had made it her instinct to meet such surrender to futility with hard defiance.

Perhaps Vandar was correct. Perhaps a Jedi could do nothing for Kai. But a teacher… a guide…

"No," Quatra stated with certainty as she slowly stood up, garnering Vandar's unwavering attention. "We're not forsaking him."

Walking over to where all others have stood before the Council to speak and be judged, Quatra made her stand. "We did not lift him out of the darkness of his youth only to throw him back. He is our responsibility – that has not changed no matter what the situation. We took him in just as we've taken in countless others, and we will find a way to help him. Master Kavar will be arriving from Coruscant tomorrow. Once I tell him everything, we will honor the commitment we made to Kai and guide him through this. No more passing him around the Masters. No more keeping him isolated and alone. That ends now."

A deep silence filled the room then. During that silence, Vandar and Quatra looked at each other. No awkwardness. No scrutiny. They simply looked.

Admittedly the first thing that crossed the elder Jedi's mind was the inform Quatra the dangers of letting such emotions drive her and her utter dismissal of the risks involved in what she was suggesting.

But Vandar realized it was not a Jedi Master who had spoken. It was a teacher. A teacher who was condemning the measures the Council had taken in order to protect the Jedi from young Lugo's influence.

Thinking back several years, Tokare recalled being amongst the Masters of Coruscant when they first discovered the unique ability of Kai to forge Force Bonds. Astonishment and intrigue had quickly given way to caution and paranoia as they realized the threat such ability posed even to the Masters. In the end they had chosen to isolate the boy as best they could until the matter was further explored or evolved. And now that it finally had, the elder Jedi found he and the other Masters were just as confused and paranoid as when this all started.

Vandar smiled softly then at the young Master before him. "It seems Vrook was correct."

Quatra felt a shiver travel through her in response to those words, thinking for a moment that the elder Jedi had chosen to share in Vrook's pessimistic and extreme views concerning Kai. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

"A decision must be made, Quatra," Vandar continued as he stood up from his seat and slowly walked over before the young woman, "and Vrook was correct that we may never know precisely what we are dealing with. And if so, how can the Council hope to make any sort of choice?"

Now standing before Master Quatra, Vandar looked up to her with an assuring smile. "Instead, I believe it is those who know Kai best that must make that decision."

Know him best? Hearing that made Quatra recall that she had not even known Kai's name for little more than a week. It almost felt sadly hysterical that Vandar would imply that she was among those qualified to make such a choice. But then, she was the one to discover the true nature behind Kai's inflictions. The one who looked at the person that lied beneath the Force and saw his wounds for what they are.

Still… a sense of fear found its way into her mind as well. As resolute as she was to help Kai, what if she chose wrong? What if the worst fears of Vrook and the others that wanted to keep Lugo in the dark were realized?

Vandar raised his hand to rest atop the back of Quatra's own by her side as she stood motionless. The sensation of the elder Jedi's comforting touch was surreal for the young woman. In an instant she was the teenage Padawan once again standing before her Master. "You have nothing to fear, Quatra. Because I know you'll make the right decision."

"How can you be certain, Master?"

"Because I know you…"

* * *

The night air was thin and light – early signs of a tumultuous storm that was crossing the lands to arrive at the Enclave on the morrow. Early signs of the rain, wind, and thunder yet to come.

As Revan stood upon the dark slopes outside of the Academy, the forewarning ambiance enveloped him whilst he moved through the motions of his unarmed combat training. He loved the irony of this stillness that filled the land and how it was but a precursor to the coming chaos on the horizon. He thought perhaps there was a lesson in it – how the gentle wind and soft air were nature's way of being merciful to the land before it would be drowned in freezing rain and scarred by searing lightning strikes. Or perhaps it was merely a deception – not mercy – nature's way of lulling its victims into a state of placidity before striking upon them with wanton fury.

Revan had often heard it said that nature was cruel and unforgiving. At other times like now it could be thought of as merciful and compassionate. In truth what it is was unpredictable. There was no intent behind the disasters caused by the gales and monsoons, but that did not make their devastation any less potent.

After releasing a flurry of well-practiced punches and kicks, Revan paused and let out a cleansing breath as he slowly made his way back into a calm stance. He was not as fast as he knew he was normally, the day's workload having drained much of his stamina. But training alone at night was a self-indulgence for the young prodigy and he took too much relief from the silence enveloping him to be weighed down by his over-exertion. Besides… it helped to clear his mind of distractions. Distractions that had caused him much grief since he learned of them.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this…" Revan muttered to himself as he remained still. His thoughts were consumed with the events he had set in motion, and how they had not gone as he had intended.

After their "talk" in the training room, Revan had anticipated Atris absconding to the Academy's temple to seek isolation and solace. His words had shaken her to her core, as he knew they would, and now she sought to center herself again. Did that mean she would seek to amputate that which caused her grievance or would she learn to accept and grow from it? Honestly, Revan did not care which she chose. Her foundations were flawed – anything built upon them would be just as much.

The role he had intended for her was over anyways. But even though this situation was a storm of his own creation, Revan found that he had not the control he thought he did. And the resulting gale may have proven utterly devastating.

"You were supposed to point the finger at **me**," Revan muttered in aggravation.

The White Knight had retaliated in her trauma, but not as Revan had intended. He expected her anger towards him for dragging out her skeletons would have driven her to implicate him to the Council as responsible for her afflictions. If she had, Revan would have stood before them and shown that it was Atris who was responsible for the state she was in, no one else. No one placed inside her the feelings that now plagued her. No one was manipulating her through passive means. No one was responsible for her failings except for her.

But instead… she had pointed the finger at Kai.

Revan had been there to watch as the droid collected Lugo from the training grounds to take before the Council. At that moment he had known that his plan had failed. And if the Council was as intent on Lugo's expulsion as Revan believed some of them to be, it may already be too late to stop it.

Finding no answer on how to rectify the matter was coming to him, Revan cleared the situation from his mind as he instead chose to think upon Vandar's cryptic words for the moment.

The Jedi Master had told him that he and Kai were almost completely similar in so many ways. And indeed – this Revan had already verified for himself during their match in the training grounds. Clear of purpose, clear of mind, clear of will – Revan had seen these qualities burning within Lugo ever so strongly. Qualities that Revan was often praised for himself.

But… Vandar had also stated that they were opposite of each other in another way. A way that the elder Jedi had said was just as significant, if not more so…

What had he meant? What was this quality within Kai's nature that was so opposing Revan's own?

Was it Kai's selfless and compassionate ways? Maybe... Revan knew himself to have more a strong sense of right and wrong than boundless empathy, but the young prodigy doubted that was what Vandar had meant. In fact he'd argue that his mentality was more the way of the Jedi than Kai's in that aspect.

And so the question remained: what was it that Vandar saw in Kai that he did not see in Revan?

Before any possible answer was revealed to him, Revan was pulled from his silent reverie as a pair of strong hands grabbing him from behind by the back of his biceps.

"Who-?!"

Without warning the student prodigy found himself being flung aside, landing face-first in the grass.

Disoriented by the sudden attack, Revan took a second to allow his senses to return to him. His mind had been so far from his surroundings that he was unable to react against the assault. But he quickly found his focus, flipping over on the ground to face his attacker. Looking up, he saw the shadowy figure standing over him threateningly, the full moons at the assaulter's back bathing him in light and obscuring his feature in deep shadow.

Even so, Revan recognized his aggressor – by physical form and presence in the Force. Honestly, he had been expecting this to happen sooner.

"Hello, Kai…"

* * *

Rolling thunder crossed over the land. A harbinger of the approaching storm way off in the distance. But neither of the two teenage students paid it any acknowledgement. Their attention was completely on each other.

"What did you do to her," Kai demanded with a rasp in his voice and venom on his tongue, making no attempt to hide how incensed he was or his aggression and utter lack of patience towards the student prodigy. A declaration that any sense of respect or equality he felt for his fellow student was non-existent now.

But Revan either didn't hear the anger in Kai's voice or didn't care, as he calmly stood back up and indifferently brushed the dirt and grass from his robes.

"Who are we talking about?" Revan replied as if he really didn't know.

Kai saw it for the mockery it was. "Atris!"

"Your Knight companion? The one you were sent here to protect?" Revan clarified unnecessarily as he eyed Kai evenly. "What makes you think I did anything to her?"

The raven-haired teenager suddenly charged at Revan. Three precise punches flew from his practiced fists, aimed at key points on the body intended to debilitate. But Revan knew of Lugo's affinity for combat now and wholly expected such precision, matching it with his own. In well-practiced maneuvers, he deflected two of the strikes and guarded against the third, all-the-while stepping back to maintain his balance.

Kai may have been the better combatant, but he would not find an easy foe here if that was his intent. Besides, if Revan called upon his Force abilities it would be over before it even began.

Looking upon the young Guardian though, Revan could tell he was set on his course.

"You didn't answer my question, Kai," Revan stated in an easy tone not adhering to the fact that both he and Kai were currently in combative stances. "Why would you think I did something to your colleague?"

"I heard what happened during the training session," Kai replied, maintaining his wrathful demeanor. "Whatever you did or said to her drove her from her students! And now she's cut herself off from everyone and hides in the temple! You're the reason she's done this!"

"Am I?" Revan coyly replied as he and Kai slowly began to circle one another while maintaining their stances. "I don't recall anyone accusing me of having done something wrong. But I do recall you being summoned before the Council this afternoon. Why was that, Kai? Did someone accuse _you_ of wrongdoing? Did you do something _terrible_ to her!?"

Kai let out a deep growl behind gritted teeth as he once again charged at Revan. He let loose two strikes in succession, both of which were deflected, before falling through with a leg swipe. Revan reacted before contact was made, back-flipping over the attack and landing in a crouched position, much like Kai was now in.

"I did _nothing_to her!" Kai protested loudly with absolution.

"But she accused you otherwise, didn't she," Revan retorted as they both made their way back to standing up. "Why do you think that is?! Whatever I said to her, why would she in turn implicate you as being the one who caused her grievance?!"

Revan could see that his words had caused a reaction with his opponent as Kai's eyes became unfocused for a moment.

"I've seen the way you two interact, Kai," Revan stated as he fell out of his combat stance, taking instead a calm pose that his counterpart refused to partake in. "The way you are so nonchalant about matters that she takes with utmost seriousness. Did you ever ask yourself why she is the way that she is? Why she is so dependent on the rules, process, and her views on what it means to be a Jedi. And why you, with the way that you are, assault those views?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play dense, Kai. You know of what I speak," Revan explained as he took a few steps back to give some distance between them, "Jedi who wish to forget everything it means to be anything other than a Jedi. They convince themselves it's a form of devotion when in truth it's a form of self-denial – a rejection of the world that hurt them in favor of the one in which they believe nothing or no one can hurt them. It's a lie, but an appealing one to those who have suffered severely at the hands of others."

There was a flash of recognition in Kai's eyes then. Revan wondered if perhaps the Padawan had some insight into the matter that he did not, if perhaps Atris had at one point shared with Kai something about herself that would lend more depth to what he was saying. In any event, it was to his advantage so he continued.

"I did nothing to her," Revan stated flatly, "nothing but attempted to show her that perhaps she needed to rethink her views a little. That a greater tragedy would come of it if she did not see what she was truly doing to herself."

"That is not your place!"

A somewhat vain argument from a guy who Revan knew did not value obedience and authority over purpose, much like himself. "Whose then? The Council? They're too busy patting her on the back for living up to their expectations to see the flaws of how she does it."

He eyed Kai mockingly then with a coy smile. "Yours then, maybe? Do you honestly think your voice or opinion carries any weight with her? You're not even a Jedi in her eyes! You're just a mockery that reminds her of what she wishes to forget about herself! Why do you think she hates you so much?!"

The anger seemed to boil over in Kai then, though Revan suspected it was less due to the insults he threw at the young Guardian and more because he implied that Kai was the one tormenting Atris. In either event, the result was clear. Kai charged at him again.

As the gap between them quickly diminished, Revan held up his hand towards his attacker, releasing a blast of Force energy.

Kai found himself knocked back through the air, caught off guard by the Force Push, but not out of control. Mid-flight he flipped backwards, placing his feet downward so that he skidded across the ground to a stop. Winded and slightly disoriented, he again rushed forward without hesitation.

Revan in turn released chronic blasts at his attacker, intent on subduing Kai from a distance.

But Kai was ready this time. As the waves of energy came barreling down at him, he called forth the Force Dash technique, dashing perpendicularly to avoid the blasts as he continued his approach.

"Perfect…" Revan grumbled under his breath in irritation as he fell into a combative stance in preparation for what was coming at him. He had really hoped this would play out without more violence. But as far out of control as things had gotten for him so far, he wasn't sure that could happen now.

Kai wasted no time, once in range performing a series of high and low round-house kicks. But he found Revan was prepared for him, rolling underneath and jumping over the attacks as they came at him.

Recoiling from the maneuvers, the young Guardian impulsively held up his arm, preventing a strike towards his neck with his forearm. Without warning he found himself on the defensive, blocking repeatedly at different angles as Revan made repeated attempts against his head and torso.

"Kai, this is idiotic!" Revan screamed between strikes, ending with a heel-kick at his opponents sternum which Lugo dodged by twisting at the waist. "What do you hope to gain by attacking me?!"

"The truth!"

Immediately the young Guardian flew into a flurry of attacks, placing Revan on guard as he found himself parrying and dodging a wave of strikes. Drained as he was, the student prodigy knew he would not last long if this continued. His remaining stamina was quickly being depleted and Kai would soon have him at his mercy.

What choice did he have?

As Kai attempted another palm-strike towards his opponent's collar-bone, he found Revan's open hand held out of meet him. Immediately his exertion came to an unnatural halt as his arm, nay his whole body became caught within an unfaltering grip. One so powerful it lifted him off the ground with ease. His arms were pressed against his sides as he struggled mid-air against the all-powerful vice now enwrapping him.

One Force technique later and Revan had Lugo completely under his control. It was somewhat to his surprise though that he found resorting to such a means as using Force Grip on the young Guardian left him with a sense of self-loathing. Strange as it was considering Kai was the aggressor here, Revan felt he deserved better than to have his strength and determination swept aside like this. However, the alternative was for the student prodigy to become the victim of those things, and he was even less fond of that idea.

"Enough, Kai! This nonsense is over!

Gritting his teeth as he hung in the sky, Kai opened his eyes and glared fiercely at his peer. "Wanna… **bet**!"

Even with his own power encasing the raven-haired warrior, Revan could sense Kai calling upon the Force, concentrating its energy within his form. And causing that energy to vibrate rapidly.

Revan's eyes went wide as he recognized the method for what it was. He recalled the young Guardian having said he preferred more supportive techniques. He should have suspected that Force Resistance might be one of them.

Immediately Kai could feel the hold upon him slipping. Looking down he saw that the student prodigy was struggling to maintain his control, concentrating with intense focus as he reached out with his hands, but they both knew it was futile. Within seconds the young Guardian's form dropped to the ground.

Revan grumbled in frustration as he took a combative stance one more.

"Tell me what you did to her!" Kai yelled as he dashed towards his opponent with fists at the ready.

Revan found the limits of his defensive abilities were suddenly put to the test as the attacks came at him much more fiercely than before. Was Kai getting faster as the fighting persisted or was Revan simply getting slower as his exhaustion gripped him ever stronger? Either way, he was running out of time. Fortunately he knew that Force Resistance did not last very long and soon he'd be able to bring his true power back into play. He needed only hold out till then.

Parrying another strike from the persistent fighter, the student prodigy countered by going on the offensive then, drawing out what precious seconds he needed until he could bring the Force back into play.

"You don't listen very well, do you, Kai!" Revan taunted in between attacks. "I already told you! All I did was try to help her! If she is in peril, I am not-"

Kai immediately grabbed Revan's still outstretched hand and twisted it about, causing Revan to grunt in pain as he was forced into an arm-lock by his opponent's greater strength.

"You think you know her better than I?!" Kai yelled rhetorically as he held Revan at his mercy. "That I would believe you telling her she has issues would make her hide in a hole?!"

Revan winced in pain as Kai continued to twist his arm. "Well, you seem to have all the answers, don't you! So tell me what is it you think I did!"

"You manipulated her somehow! Traumatized her and tricked her that I was responsible for it!" Even Kai, as enraged as he was, could still hear how lacking his accusations were.

Revan didn't miss it either, letting out an amused laugh. "As well-spoken as I am, even I would be impressed by such lingual craftsmanship as you're suggesting! What could I have said then to trick her into blaming you for her problems? I'd love to hear it myself!"

That verbal sparring had provided all the time Revan needed as he felt the energies within Kai become still once again. A Force Repulse wave rippled out from the student prodigy then, strong enough to cause Kai to lose his grip and tumble backwards across the ground with minimal risk of injuring him.

Rubbing the muscles of his freed and now very sore shoulder, Revan turned about to find the young Guardian, though clearly dazed and winded from the blast, was already working his way back to his feet.

The teenage warrior was relentless. No one could deny that.

But Revan had had enough. The last thing he wanted was to end up with more broken ribs like the last time he fought with Kai. Especially since there was nothing to be gained from this conflict.

…

…

…Actually, perhaps there was…

Having regained his composure, Kai was once again about to start his approach. But Revan's voice beat him to the draw.

"You win, Lugo."

Those words literally stopped Kai in his tracks.

"I admit it," Revan continued with and indifferent tone. "I'm responsible for the trauma, episode, or whatever it is that Atris says has afflicted her. And I convinced her it was your fault as well."

He thought to perhaps see some measure of gratification in Kai's features from this confession and was surprised when all he saw was the same mixture of determination and anger.

"Go to the Council and tell them I confessed if you like. They'll probably have me march in front of them and explain exactly what I said to Atris." It was Revan's gaze that became sharp and dangerous then. "That's what you want, isn't it? For me to reveal to the Council the reasons why Atris is a failure as a Jedi? Given that it was enough to cause her to abandon her role and duties, I'm curious what the Council will decide to do with her once they get wind of it!"

Kai's eyes widened then – a subtle response to the realization of what was being said. To what the manipulative Padawan was threatening.

A self-assured smirk crossed Revan's lips then. "But that's not really important to you, is it? Seeing me punished for what I did? No. You're only concern here is Atris and protecting her. You want her to be safe more than you care about what happens to me. But how can you do that when she's shut herself away and refuses to talk to anyone, especially you?"

Kai gritted his teeth at the Jedi prodigy, hating how Revan seemed to echo several of the thoughts that had been plaguing him since he had learned of this situation from the Council. How could he help Atris when she had cut herself off completely from him? When he had learned of Revan's involvement in the matter, it was the closest thing he had to an answer. Now it seemed he didn't even have that anymore.

Once again the thunder vibrated in the air about the young warriors, this time intense enough to warrant their attention as they both looked off into the distance, noting the black clouds that were resting on the horizon.

"How do you help someone who doesn't want your help, Kai? We could argue the semantics of respecting another's wishes, rules and authority, and what is morally justifiable. But the answer…"

Revan met the young Guardian's gaze as they looked upon each other once more, both of their eyes brimming with absolution.

"…is that you do it anyways, and let the consequences be what they may."

A warm gust of humid wind rolled over the land then, hitting Kai and Revan with its moist touch. Already the scent of rain could be detected upon the air. It would not be long now before the downpour was upon them.

"Well, this was an amusing way to finish my exercises." Revan declared in a casual voice as he stretched the remaining soreness from his arm, "But I have obligations in the morning. So this is goodnight, Lugo. I hope you got what you wanted from me."

Kai found he could not but watch as Revan turned away from him. A part of him, a large part, wanted to grab the manipulative Padawan by the neck to shut him up while dragging him to a containment cell to ensure he could no longer cause trouble. But the other part, the one that was willing to listen despite having all reason not to, had heard what Revan had said.

Was it just that easy? Was he to dismiss all the barriers between him and his responsibility towards Atris with such indifference as though he need not consider them? The idea of failing the Council by committing such an act, of failing Masters Vandar, Quatra, and Kavar, was agonizing to Kai Lugo. But the idea of leaving Atris to suffer alone… to fail her by not being there when she needed him was no less insufferable.

So Kai was forced to ask himself. Which would be the greater failure on his part?

He had no answer. And as he stood there on the open field, head hanging with eyes unfocused, he found that to be immeasurably worse.

"The storm will be here soon, Kai," Revan called out as he continued to walk away. "You better act before it arrives."

* * *

With his back towards the young Guardian, Revan was free to allow himself to smirk with satisfaction without obtaining Kai's notice.

Yes, the storm was coming. But he was confident that it was under his control once again…


End file.
